These are the names mentioned in the covenant, according to the stuff on ancestry:
John Lambert Middleton of London, cornfactor, & Ann his wife.
Thomas Glass of Exeter, M.D. & Mary his wife
William Dry of London, gent & Frances his wife
George Hodges of Watling Street London, haberdasher
Nathaniel Hodges of Plymouth, gent, brother of the above
Mary Hodges his mother
There is a book on Google Books - Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of King's Bench - which includes a complicated case starting with the following:
Hodges against Middleton and Another 1780
This was a case sent by the Court of Chancery for the opinion of this court, which stated:
That Frances Bladen, widow, devised as follows:- "I give to my kinswoman Mrs Anne Middleton, my house and lands at Arlborough Hatch, and all my real estate, in the parish of Barking, during her life, and at her death, to her children, upon condition that she or they constantly pay £30 a year for a clergyman to officiate in my chapel, &c and on failure of these conditions here mentioned, then I give the said house and lands to my own next heirs, to be enjoyed on the same conditions, and in case of failure of children of my said kinswoman Mrs Anne Middleton, then I give the house and lands aforesaid to her brother Mr George Hodges, and his children, on the same conditions, and, in case of failure of his children, then I give the said house and lands to the sisters or sister of the said Anne Middleton and George Hodges, tlo be equally divided between them, or their children that are living at that time." - That the testatrix died, leaving the said George Hodges her heir at law; that Anne Middleton entered upon the premises, and enjoyed them till her death; that she had issue living at the death of the testatrix seven children, two by a former husband, the rest by her then husband John Lambert Middleton; that in 1749, John Lambert Middleton, and Anne his wife, suffered a recovery, to the use of themselves for life, and to the children of Anne Middleton, in such manner as they jointly, or the survivor of them, should appoint, and, in default of such appointment, to the children of Anne Middleton, by John Lambert Middleton, except the eldest, and the heirs of the several bodies of the said children, share and share alike, that, in 1761, Anne Middleton died, and in 1768, her husband, then Sir John Lambert Middleton, died, without having made any appointment; that Anne Middleton had issue living at her death six children, (one of them by her first husband), who entered on the premises on the death of Sir John Lambert Middleton, one of them being the eldest son excepted in the declaration of the uses of the recovery; that, in 1770 the six children suffered a recovery, to the use of themselves in fee, and that three of them were since dead; that the bill was brought by Joseph Hodges, son and heir at law of George Hodges, to have his right to the freehold and inheritance of the said premises, subject to the life estates of the surviving children, declared, and for an injunction against waste."
So I think that my Frances Dry's mother is one of the unnamed sisters of Anne Middleton. The Peerage . com has an entry for Sir John Lambert Middleton, 4th Baronet, which says that he married Anne Hodges, the daughter of Sir Nathaniel Hodges, in 1737,and that her first husband was called Warner Perkins (Debrett's says Charles Perkins).
This entry in TNA's catalogue must be the same case:
Reference:
C 11/1124/18
Description:
Short title: Hooper v Foster.
Document type: Bill and answer.
Plaintiffs: Sarah Hooper, spinster of Tower Hill,London, Thomas Glass, doctor in physic of Exeter and Mary Glass his wife, William Dry, esq of Devon and Frances Dry his wife, John Lambert Middleton, gent of Albro Hatch, Essex and Ann Middleton his wife (said Sarah Hooper, Mary Glass, Frances Dry and Ann Middleton, together with George Hodges, a defendant are cousins and next of kin of Frances Bladen, widow deceased late of Bocking, Essex).
Defendants: Thomas Foster, esq and Mary Foster his wife and George Hodges.
Date of bill (or first document): 1756
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