Person Page - 691

William Sackett, yeoman of Jordan Dane, St John in Thanet, Kent, son of John Sackett and Johan ___, was born probably in the early 1520s.¹ He was buried at St John in Thanet^G on 31 December 1572.² He married about 1545, Johan ___, who survived him.
     William was named as a beneficiary in his father's will made in St John in Thanet^G on 4 July 1529.³ He was to have his father's tenement and lands for a period of four years after the expiration of fourteen years and after that four years he was to have several specified parcels of land totalling some fourteen acres.
     William made his will at Jordan Dane, St John in Thanet^G, on 20 December 1572.⁴ He named as beneficiaries his wife Johan, his sons, Robert, Edward, and John, his daughters, Helen, Joyce, and Alyce, and his grandchildren, William, Robert, and Joan Norwood. The will was proved at the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury^G on 14 February 1572/73.
     It would appear that William was a reasonably prosperous farmer, having sufficient lands to leave farms to each of his three sons. After providing for his wife during her lifetime, he left his tenement and lands at Jordan Dane to his eldest son Robert. He left a tenement and 20 acres of arable lands and pasture in St Peter in Thanet and 14 acres of arable land in St John in Thanet to his son Edward when he reached 20. (This land was presumably the same 14 acres that William had inherited from his father). The third son John was to receive, at age 20, a tenement and 7½ acres at Church Hill, St Peter's, 8 acres at Mill Down, and further land at Bennetts Hill. William had acquired these lands by purchase. The tenement and land at Church Hill would appear to be that previously owned by Edward Sackett, later requested to be sold by the will of his son Richard in 1533. After Richard's death, the land had passed out of Sackett ownership. The relationship, if any, between Edward/Richard of Church Hill and William of Jordan Dane has not been ascertained. William's will also refers to land owned by John Sackett the elder. This was probably John Sacket of Sackett's Hill.
     Amongst his personalty, William left his corselet (body armour) to his son Robert, indicating that he would have been an officer in the militia.
William's will

Richard Saket the younger, husbandman of Sackett's Hill, St Peter in Thanet, Kent, son of Richard Sackett the elder and Margaret ___, was born say 1505. He died between 9 April 1545 when he made his will and 9 May 1545 when the will was proved.¹ He married about 1530, Crystian ___. Richard was an executor of the will of John Sackett of St John in Thanet, made in 1529.
     Richard made his will at St Peter in Thanet^G on 9 April 1545. Named as beneficiaries were his wife Crystian, his son John, and his daughter Margery.¹ Both children were under twelve at the time of his death. Richard left his land and tenements to his wife Crystian until their son John reached 21 when he would inherit. The will was proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury^G on 9 May 1545.
     Richard's will was witnessed by "Richard Sackete the elder". On that scant evidence it is deduced that Richard the elder was probably the father of this Richard. Against that, however, it is noted that the elder Richard, making his own will three years later, made no provision for the young children John and Margery who would, if the supposition is correct, have been his grandchildren.
     The "Thomas Sacket of Sacketts Hill", named as an executor of Richard's estate, has not been positively identified. He may have been Thomas Sacket, gentleman of St Peter in Thanet, (who himself died at about the same time as Richard and was unlikely to have been able to have carried out the duties of executor.)
Richard's will