This is a partial transcription of a lawsuit from the English Chancery decrees (courtesy of WAALT) John Buckner & Jane his wife v. William Rutland and others (sic) C78/1927, no. 16

I've only transcribed the first part of it, since like most legal complaints, it's long and repetitive, and I haven't seen anything additional in the following matter (though I haven't looked at all of it closely).

The suit deals with the administration of the estate of James Buttes of "Shiffton" Suffolk (which has been quite difficult to identify), who died intestate in 1704. Like a lot of chancery suits, it actually gives more information than a typical will, since the relationships of the parties have to be spelled out very specifically. The gist of it is that James Buttes had no children and his siblings were deceased at the time of his death, but he had one cousin germane (Jane Cotterell Buckner) and three apparent, perhaps half, cousins, Elizabeth (Gower) Gould, Ann (Gower) Rutland, and Penelope (White) Ryder. Ann Rutland's husband, William Rutland, was administrating the estate and was accused by Jane Buckner of attempting to cut her out of the proceeds, which is what the whole thing revolves around. Jane's father Matthew Cotterell had been a previous administrator, and there was probably one before that since he was "de bonis non". Where it might be of interest to someone is that it names Jane's husband as John Buckner and notes that he was a soldier "beyond sea" when she filed the suit (he had to give her permission to do so). The other interesting thing is that the defendants were from very wealthy and notable London families), including one knight, Sir Edward Gould.

These are undoubtedly the same John and Jane Buckner (alias Catterell) from another chancery suit, Buckner v. Castelman (C 6/373/78) dated 1710-11, though in that case John Buckner is identified as a gentleman of Raydon, Suffolk, pretty clearly identifies him as John Buckner III, a grandson of John Buckner, salter of London (see C78/958 on WAALT), who died in 1670 leaving a property in Raydon to his son John. The whole series of suits seems to have dragged out from about 1705 to 1726 or so.

One should note that the Will of James Rutland (1737), son of William Rutland, mentions having paid an "answer to a bill in Chancery of one Buckner", so the suit may have been at least partially successful.

Incidentally, if you're having trouble with the grammar, this text liberally uses an archaic possessive construction that was current in the early 1700s, which has "his" as the equivalent of the modern apostrophe-s (which is actually what the apostrophe represents), so "James his debts" means "James's debts".

Matthew Cotterell
	Jane Cotterell m. John Buckner
Alice Cotterell m. John Buttes
	James Buttes d. 1704, Shipton, Suffolk
	
John Buttes m. Alice COtterell
	James Buttes
Anne ? m. Richard Gower (of Bisham House, grocer of London, d. 1688)
	Elizabeth Gower (d. 1687) m. (Sir) Edward Gould (or Gold, also London merchant, mentioned in Pepys diaries, oddly enough, ca 1648-1728)
	Ann Gower m. Wiliam Rutland (Jr.), merchant of London
Penelope ? m. John White
	Penelope White m. Martin Ryder Esq.

A lot of these people seem to be from Devonshire.

Whereas heretofore that is to say in or? about the Termes of the
holy trinity Which Was in the yeare of our Lord According? to the Computation
of the Church of England one thousand seven hundred and nine John
Buckner And Jane his Wife complts Exhibited their Bill of Complt into this
high and honoble Court against William Rutland and others Defendants
thereby setting forth that the Complt Jane Was the surviving child of
Matthew Cotterell the Administrator de bonis non of James Buttes thereinafter
named And that the said Matthew Cotterell had noe brothers ..one sister 
Alice by name who marryed John Buttes by Whome she had onely the said
James Buttes to Whome the said Complt Jane Was Cozen German they being
brothers and sisters Children and that the said Alice the Complts Aunt survived
John Buttes And dyed thirty yeares since seaseing James their onely Child
of About twenty one yeares of age who was at his death seised of diverse
Lands and tenements in D?????e And ^(possessed of a) personall estate of greate value in his
owne and others names and the said James dyed Intestate about the yeare
one thousand seavene hundred and four at Shiffton in Suffolke and for the better
maunagement of his estate kept part of it in his owne possession And Stocked? the
same and sell the other part and kept bookes of account Wherein he entred
receipts payments debts and other matters relating to his reall and personall
estate and had notes or memorandums thereof That the complt knew not of
the said James his death ?? Aprill one thowsand seven hundred and five
And the Defendant Rutland and Anne his wife (since deceased) on pretence she
was next of kinn procured letters of Administration of the said James his
personall estate and Wriengs(?) belonging to the same  and reall estate and
profittes thereof ??? to the hands of the Defendant Rutland or his wife or
one or one of them and Complts applyed to informed them that the
Complt Janes Was cozen German to the said James as aforesaid and required
an account for the assesses of rent and other the personall estate of the said James
and to pay the Complts surty  ??? thereof as ??? Complt Janes right blongin?
to them by the Act for Settling Intestates estates or otherwise That the Defendt
and his said wife pretended that John the said James his father had oneley
two sisters of the halfe blood vizt Anne and Penelope both deceased And
that the said Ann intermarried with Richard Gower by Whome she issue
oneley two daughters vizt Elizabeth the wife of Edward Gould and the
said Anne wife of the said Defendt Rutland and thatt the said Penellope since
deceased intermarried with John White by whome she had issue onely one daughter
Pelelope who marryed with Martin Ryder Esqr. and that the said personall estate
after the said James his debts and funerall charges were paid ought to be
distributed amongst the said Elizabeth Ann and Penelope as sisters children of the
said John the said James his father and that the Complt not haveing made and legal?
proofes of the Complt Janes being daughter of the said Matthew Cotterall brother of
the said Alice Cottrell mother of the said Jane ought not to have and part of the said
James his personall estate That the Complt Janes Comenced a suite in the P*rogats
of the said James his personall estate pursuant to an authority given her by her
husband who was then a souldier beyond sea and the Complts made full proofe
of the Complt Janes being Cozen German and next of kinn to the said James and
was proceeding to Sentence to present Which the said Defendt Rutland his wife
Who ^(then) ?Wed? the Complt Jane to be Cozen German to the said James proposed ending
the same suite amicably and promised to to be just in discovering and accounting for the said
personall estate Which Was then or should afterward come to their hands and to pay
the Complt her full part thereof That the said Defendant Rutland and others Assumed
that he the said Rutland had about the first of march one thousand seaven hundred and
four on  sath? exhibited a true and perfect inventory of the said James his personall
estate and what expended relateing thereto and that the said disbursements Were
reasonable and ought to be allowed and that the surplusage...