Marriage settlement (England)

A marriage settlement in England was a historic arrangement whereby most commonly and in its simplest form a trust of land or other assets was established jointly by the parents of a bride and bridegroom, with the trustees as legal owners of the assets, and the bride and bridegroom as beneficial owners of the assets during their lifetimes, and after their deaths with beneficial ownership descending to one or more of the children of the union. The marriage settlement should not be confused with the modern prenuptial agreement, which is concerned mainly with the division of assets after divorce.