diff --git a/clorm/orm/_typing.py b/clorm/orm/_typing.py
index 473272a..c386f43 100644
--- a/clorm/orm/_typing.py
+++ b/clorm/orm/_typing.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import sys
+import inspect
 from typing import Any, Dict, ForwardRef, Optional, Tuple, Type, TypeVar, Union, _eval_type, cast
 
 from clingo import Symbol
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ def resolve_annotations(
 ) -> Dict[str, Type[Any]]:
     """
     Taken from https://github.com/pydantic/pydantic/blob/1.10.X-fixes/pydantic/typing.py#L376
+    with some modifications for handling when the first _eval_type() call fails.
 
     Resolve string or ForwardRef annotations into type objects if possible.
     """
@@ -86,9 +88,26 @@ def resolve_annotations(
             else:
                 value = ForwardRef(value, is_argument=False)
         try:
-            value = _eval_type(value, base_globals, None)
+            type_ = _eval_type(value, base_globals, None)
         except NameError:
-            # this is ok, it can be fixed with update_forward_refs
-            pass
-        annotations[name] = value
+            # The type annotation could refer to a definition at a non-global scope so build
+            # the locals from the calling context.
+            currframe = inspect.currentframe()
+            finfos = inspect.getouterframes(currframe)
+            if len(finfos) < 4:
+                raise RuntimeError('Cannot resolve field "{name}" with type annotation "{value}"')
+            locals_ = {}
+            type_ = None
+            for finfo in finfos[3:]:
+                locals_.update(finfo.frame.f_locals)
+                try:
+                    type_ = _eval_type(value, base_globals, locals_)
+                    break
+                except NameError:
+                    pass
+            if type_ is None:
+                raise RuntimeError(
+                    f'Cannot resolve field "{name}" with type annotation "{value}"'
+                )
+        annotations[name] = type_
     return annotations
diff --git a/clorm/orm/core.py b/clorm/orm/core.py
index cec0826..6a9da2f 100644
--- a/clorm/orm/core.py
+++ b/clorm/orm/core.py
@@ -2918,7 +2918,6 @@ def infer_field_definition(type_: Type[Any], module: str) -> Optional[Type[BaseF
 def _make_predicatedefn(
     class_name: str, namespace: Dict[str, Any], meta_dct: Dict[str, Any]
 ) -> PredicateDefn:
-
     # Set the default predicate name
     pname = _predicatedefn_default_predicate_name(class_name)
     anon = False
@@ -3001,15 +3000,37 @@ def _make_predicatedefn(
             )
         fields_from_dct[fname] = fdefn
 
-    fields_from_annotations = {}
     module = namespace.get("__module__", None)
-    for name, type_ in resolve_annotations(namespace.get("__annotations__", {}), module).items():
-        if name in fields_from_dct:  # first check if FieldDefinition was assigned
-            fields_from_annotations[name] = fields_from_dct[name]
-        else:  # if not try to infer the definition based on the type
+
+    # Get the list of fields with annotations
+    annotations = namespace.get("__annotations__", {})
+
+    # If using type annotations then all fields must be annotated - however some fields can
+    # have field definition overrides.
+    if not annotations:
+        field_specification = fields_from_dct
+    else:
+        set_anno = set(annotations)
+        set_dct = set(fields_from_dct)
+        if not (set_dct <= set_anno):
+            raise TypeError(
+                (
+                    f"Predicate '{pname}' contains a mixture of type annotated and un-annotated "
+                    f"fields ({set_anno} and {set_dct}). If one field is annotated then all fields "
+                    "must be annotated"
+                )
+            )
+
+        raw_annotations = {
+            name_: type_ for name_, type_ in annotations.items() if name_ not in fields_from_dct
+        }
+        field_specification = {
+            name: fields_from_dct.get(name, None) for name, _ in annotations.items()
+        }
+        for name, type_ in resolve_annotations(raw_annotations, module).items():
             fdefn = infer_field_definition(type_, module)
             if fdefn:
-                fields_from_annotations[name] = fdefn
+                field_specification[name] = fdefn
             elif inspect.isclass(type_):
                 raise TypeError(
                     (
@@ -3018,22 +3039,9 @@ def _make_predicatedefn(
                     )
                 )
 
-    # TODO can this be done more elegantly
-    set_anno = set(fields_from_annotations)
-    set_dct = set(fields_from_dct)
-    set_union = set_dct.union(set_anno)
-    if set_dct < set_union > set_anno:
-        raise TypeError(
-            (
-                f"Predicate '{pname}': Mixed fields are not allowed. "
-                "(one field has just an annotation, the other one was only assigned a FieldDefinition)"
-            )
-        )
-
     fas = []
     idx = 0
-    fields_from_annotations.update(**fields_from_dct)
-    for fname, fdefn in fields_from_annotations.items():
+    for fname, fdefn in field_specification.items():
         try:
             fd = get_field_definition(fdefn, module)
             fa = FieldAccessor(fname, idx, fd)
diff --git a/tests/test_forward_ref.py b/tests/test_forward_ref.py
index 979898a..11a78b8 100644
--- a/tests/test_forward_ref.py
+++ b/tests/test_forward_ref.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import importlib
+import importlib.util
 import inspect
 import secrets
 import sys
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ class P1(Predicate):
 
     def test_postponed_annotations_complex(self):
         code = """
+from __future__ import annotations
 from clorm import Predicate
 from typing import Union
 
@@ -105,6 +106,65 @@ class P3(Predicate):
             p = module.P3(a=module.P2(a=42))
             self.assertEqual(str(p), "p3(p2(42))")
 
+    def test_postponed_annotations_nonglobal1(self):
+        code = """
+from __future__ import annotations
+from clorm import Predicate, ConstantField, field
+from typing import Union
+
+def define_predicates():
+
+
+    class P1(Predicate):
+        a1: str = field(ConstantField)
+        a: int
+        b: str
+
+    class P2(Predicate):
+        a: Union[int, P1]
+
+    return P1, P2
+
+XP1, XP2 = define_predicates()
+
+"""
+        with self._create_module(code) as module:
+            p1 = module.XP1(a1="c", a=3, b="42")
+            self.assertEqual(str(p1), 'p1(c,3,"42")')
+            p2 = module.XP2(a=p1)
+            self.assertEqual(str(p2), 'p2(p1(c,3,"42"))')
+
+    def test_postponed_annotations_nonglobal2(self):
+        code = """
+from __future__ import annotations
+from clorm import Predicate, ConstantField, field
+from typing import Union
+
+def define_predicates():
+
+
+    class P1(Predicate):
+        a1: str = field(ConstantField)
+        a: int
+        b: str
+
+    def define_complex():
+        class P2(Predicate):
+            a: Union[int, P1]
+        return P2
+
+    return P1, define_complex()
+
+XP1, XP2 = define_predicates()
+
+"""
+        with self._create_module(code) as module:
+            p1 = module.XP1(a1="c", a=3, b="42")
+            self.assertEqual(str(p1), 'p1(c,3,"42")')
+            p2 = module.XP2(a=p1)
+            self.assertEqual(str(p2), 'p2(p1(c,3,"42"))')
+
+
     def test_forward_ref(self):
         def module_():
             from typing import ForwardRef
diff --git a/tests/test_orm_core.py b/tests/test_orm_core.py
index ae2134d..a157786 100644
--- a/tests/test_orm_core.py
+++ b/tests/test_orm_core.py
@@ -1489,7 +1489,7 @@ class Blah(ComplexTerm):
     def test_predicates_with_annotated_fields(self):
         class P(Predicate):
             a: int = IntegerField
-            b = StringField
+            b: str = StringField
 
         class P1(Predicate):
             a: int