This paper presents the results of an investigation into the mortality and marriage experience of six widows' funds of the Scottish Banks over the period 1950 to 1966 and compares the results with similar investigations which have been made in the past. Tables of mortality rates have been produced for bachelors, married men, widowers, married men and widowers combined, all males, wives and widows, and marriage rates have been produced for bachelors, widowers and widows.

The examination of the male mortality experience shows a substantial improvement over the previous 1923-43 investigation and in general terms demonstrates that widowers' mortality may be expected to be heavier than that of bachelors which in turn is likely to be heavier than that of married men. Women's mortality also shows considerable improvement but widows' mortality is heavier than wives' mortality at all ages.

The trend towards higher marriage rates and towards marriage at younger ages which was so marked in the previous investigation has continued unabated and the marriage rates for bachelors for the period 1962-66, which have been used for calculating the appropriate monetary functions, demonstrate this trend when compared with the rates for the whole period and with the results of previous investigations.

Monetary functions to enable valuations to be made of widows' funds at 5% interest by the reversionary method are published in the paper together with the results of valuing a model fund by this method using various assumptions. The result of valuing the model fund using the collective method is shown for comparison.