Proceedings in the Chancery Court, London
The Court of Chancery was the principal court of equity from the late 14th to the late 19th centuries and had jurisdiction in civil disputes in England and Wales. Appeals from the Court of Chancery were made to the House of Lords. The Court became the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice in 1875.
Cases brought to court were often disputes between members of the same family over, for example, land, trusts, marriage settlements or wills. The documents therefore often contain useful genealogical information.
The main pleadings in the Court were a plaintiff's Bill of Complaint and a defendant's Answer. Witnesses gave evidence by attending for depositions. Bills of Complaint, Answers, and Witness Statements were all recorded by Clerks to the Court. Decisions of the Court were recorded as Decrees and Orders.
A number of members of the Sackett family found themselves involved in Chancery Court hearings.
- Hurleston v Sackett (1632 & 1638–39) — long-running dispute over ownership of land in Ickham, Kent, involving Paul Sackett (1588–after 1640)
- Eastman v Sackett (1650–1651) — action by Ann Eastman against brothers Rev John Sackett (1597–1664) and Rev Stephen Sackett (1605–1678) claiming ownership of six tenements
- Sackett v Haite (1677–1684) — action brought by Jeffery Sackett (1617–1695) of Sandwich, Kent, against his stepson, William Haite
- Denne & Verrier v. Combes (1680) — Jeffery Sackett (1617–1695) of Sandwich, Kent, a witness in an action about payment of tithes
- Sackett v Griffin (1735) — action brought by Captain John Sackett (1697–1753) of London against parties contracted to supply a shipload of tobacco in Virginia