Aged nine-and-forty, Mrs Mary Pearson was at this point running two separate ménage money clubs from her home address in Gilesgate, Durham. Money clubs were set up as communal savings fund and, for many generations, it was popular among women who shied away from the use of banks. The club was a loose arrangement which ran completely on trust. Everyone paid in to the ménage weekly and, once a week, one number would be drawn which allowed someone to get the pay-out. This process went on until everyone who was involved had their turn and received their money equally. The organisers, or Mary in this instance, had to be well-known and well-regarded in the community, as she would have been entrusted to take care of all the money and deliver it back to people honestly. Of course, her role in all this involved a quite a lot of toing and froing around her local area, as well as being social with participants.

Sadly, on the 21st day of August, 1887, Mary, along with her husband John Pearson, was summoned to Durham County Court to act as the defendants in a complaint against her community work. Mr and Mrs Barrass, the latter of whom participated in Mary's money clubs, tried with a great deal of intricacy to accuse Mary of being dishonest and running her ménage incorrectly. His Honour, Meynell, was left so bewildered by both female explanations that Mr Barnes, Mrs Barrass' solicitor, was left to interpret the situation. Nonetheless, Mrs Barrass was non-suited for failing to provide proof and the case was dismissed under the Judge's advice not to partake in complicated money clubs such as these.