Stanford land and the Chancery court

William Stanford died in 1841 and was succeeded by his son, also William, who, in the face of enormous pressure for building land from the extension of Brighton and Hove, succeeded in maintaining a largely agricultural estate. Before he died in 1853 he made a complicated will which attempted to ensure that his land would remain intact.

His heir, Ellen Stanford, was made tenant-for-life of the estates. She was empowered to grant leases but she could not sell land outright – this power was reserved for the trustees of William’s will. As Ellen was only five years old the trustees collected the rents and invested any profits into stocks and securities. Further land could also be acquired, except in Ireland and Scotland. As a further precaution, the entire estate was placed under the authority of the Chancery court in London and Ellen was made a ward of the court.

This was a decision of far reaching consequence for the Stanfords. The money received from the estate was paid into the court by the trustees after the deduction of their expenses. All outgoings had to be approved not only by the trustees but also by the Master of the Chancery court.

Ellen Stanford

In 1867 Ellen married Vere Fane Benett of Pythouse, Wiltshire. As she was only nineteen approval for the marriage had to be obtained from the court and Vere had to present a petition stating, among other things, his financial suitability. Although his income was £7,000 per annum his estate was encumbered with electioneering and other debts amounting to £26,000. In spite of this the couple married and moved to Pythouse.

Vere’s worsening debts forced Ellen to look to her Brighton and Hove estates as a means for lightening her husband’s financial burden. The problem was that under the terms of her father’s will the estate had been strictly settled to prevent the granting of freehold building land. The only way of resolving the problem was to have a private act of Parliament which would enable the sale of land. Vere had plans drawn up for a substantial building estate before the eventual passage of the Stanford Estate Act in 1871.

The Act enabled Ellen to grant building agreements with the option to purchase the freehold within seven years at a price equivalent to the ground rent for twenty-five years. No sale was valid unless approved by the Chancery court. The way was now clear for the transformation of Stanford land to a building estate.


Miss Ellen Stanford, G. Smith, 1850, PM190020	Photograph of Ellen Stanford, c1868, PMPHO000029