Person Page - 698

Robert Sackett, yeoman of Minster in Thanet and Preston-next-Wingham, Kent, son of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was born about 1574.¹ He married at St Peter in Thanet^G on 24 February 1597/98, Mary (___) Gibbes.^2,3 She predeceased Robert and was buried at St Nicholas, Ash next Sandwich^G, on 29 July 1622.⁴
     Robert was named as a beneficiary in his father's will made at St John in Thanet^G in October 1622.⁵ He was to receive £5 as were his children Faith, Henry and Edward when they reached 21. Robert's eldest son Thomas, who was already of age, received £10 from his grandfather.

William Sackett, husbandman, maltster of Ash-next-Sandwich, Kent, son of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was baptized at St John in Thanet^G on 1 January 1577/78.¹ He died aged about 63 and was buried at Ash next Sandwich^G on 12 March 1639/40.³ He married, probably at Canterbury St Margaret^G in 1599, Joan Parker, having obtained a licence at Canterbury on 21 September 1599.² William described himself as a husbandman on the marriage licence. He subsequently became a maltster, having his own malthouses at Ash. Joan predeceased him and was buried at St Nicholas, Ash next Sandwich^G, on 18 March 1636/37.⁴
     William was named as a beneficiary in his father's will made at St John in Thanet^G in October 1622.⁵ He received £5 from the will as did his brothers Robert and Edward and sister Bennet, while Paul, the youngest brother, received the residue of money, goods and chattels, and was appointed executor of their father's estate.
     William was a witness in an action in the Court of Chancery, London, in 1638–39, involving the disputed ownership of some of his father's lands in Ickham and Wingham, Kent. The court proceedings are summarised in the entry for William's brother Paul. [See also Transcript of Proceedings]
     William made his will at Ash next Sandwich^G on 27 June 1639.⁶ He named as beneficiaries his sons, William, John, Paul, Jeffery, Robert, and Thomas, his daughters, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joan, and his granddaughters, Joan Philpott and Mary Philpott. In addition to his house and malthouses, William left significant monetary sums to his sons—excepting Jeffery who he would appear to have effectively cut out, leaving him just one shilling. He also expressly excluded Jeffery from benefiting from an annuity which was the subject of a legal action. It is interesting to conjecture why he might have done this. Perhaps he had already provided for Jeffery, who had married the previous year. Perhaps he thought Jeffery incompetent to handle his own finances, although it is later seen that Jeffery followed in his father's footsteps, pursuing the trade of maltster in Sandwich. It would seem more likely, however, given the derisory bequest, that William and Jeffery had seriously fallen out and this was the father's death-bed insult to his son. The will was proved in the Consistory Court of Canterbury on 31 March 1640.
     It is also noted that when William's son Robert made his will 19 years later in 1658, he referred to an amount of £3 owing to him by his brother Jeffery, perhaps confirming that Jeffery had indeed suffered financially after being disinherited.

Edward Sackett, yeoman of Ash-next-Sandwich and St John in Thanet, Kent, son of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was baptized at St John in Thanet^G on 12 January 1579/80.¹ He died aged about 69 and was buried there on 31 May 1649.⁴ He married first say 1610, ___ ___, by whom he had a daughter, Joanna. He married second at St Nicholas, Ash next Sandwich^G, on 5 July 1618, Parnell (___) Graunt, a widow, having obtained a licence at Canterbury on 3 July.^2,3 There were no children of this marriage. Parnell was buried at St John in Thanet^G on 20 November 1658.⁵
     Edward was named as a beneficiary in his father's will made at St John in Thanet^G in October 1622.⁶ He was to receive £5 from his father's estate. Although details are not available from the abstract of the will, it is probable that Edward also inherited land from his father.
     Edward does not appear to have left a will, his estate thereby going automatically to his wife, Parnell. She, however, left detailed instructions for the disposal of her not inconsiderable estate. She made her will at St John in Thanet on 9 April 1657, naming as beneficiaries a number of cousins, and her maid. The will was proved at Canterbury on 23 December 1658.⁷

Bennet Sackett, daughter of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was baptized at St John in Thanet^G on 17 February 1582/83.¹ She married at St Nicholas, Ash next Sandwich^G, on 22 October 1622, George Taylor.²
     Bennet was named as a beneficiary in her father's will made at St John in Thanet^G in October 1622.³ Bennet's father died two months later in December 1622, after which she was to receive £5 from his estate.

John Sackett, son of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was baptized at St John in Thanet, Kent^G, on 1 August 1585.¹ He died aged about 21 and was buried at St Nicholas, Ash next Sandwich^G, on 20 November 1606.²

Paul Sackett, yeoman of Ash-next-Sandwich, St John in Thanet, and Wingham, Kent, son of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was baptized at St John in Thanet^G on 10 March 1587/88.¹ He died aged about 79 and was buried at Preston near Wingham, Kent^G, on 19 August 1667.³ He married at Canterbury St Martin^G in 1620, Ann (___) Lee, widow of Richard Lee, by licence obtained at Canterbury on 1 February 1619/20.² Ann was born about 1594.⁴ She died aged about 76 and was buried at Preston near Wingham^G on 22 June 1670.⁵
     Paul was named as a beneficiary in his father's will made at St John in Thanet^G in October 1622.⁶ He was appointed executor of the will and was to receive the residue of his father's estate after various bequests to his other sons and daughter and to his grandchildren.
     Paul was a churchwarden at St John in Thanet^G in 1640.⁷
     Paul was a defendant in an action in the Court of Chancery, London, in 1632, and the plaintiff in further actions in 1638–39, involving the disputed ownership of some of his father's lands in Ickham and Wingham, Kent. [See Transcript of Proceedings]
The Chancery Court actions
     Paul Sackett was involved, first as a defendant and later as the plaintiff in proceedings in the Chancery Court, London, in 1632 and 1638–39. His brother William Sackett also gave evidence.
     Paul and William's father Robert Sackett had bought lands in Ickham and Wingham, Kent, in 1609 (7th year of the reign of King James) for £60 from William Parker, the parties agreeing that Parker would continue to occupy the lands upon payment of an "annuity" of £6—effectively a sale-and-leaseback arrangement.
     A few years later, William Parker, claiming that he had bought out the annuity, sold parts of the lands to various purchasers.
     Robert Sackett died in 1622 and left the residue of his estate, including the deed of annuity, to his son Paul. Inclusion of the deed in his will implied that Robert believed it was still in force, although it appears that no rent had been received for some years.
     Paul Sackett sought through an action at common law in the Palace of Canterbury to recoup 12 years' rent arrears from Richard Hurlston, who was now in the possession of some of the land, under threat of repossession.
     In 1632, Richard Hurlston actioned Paul Sackett in the Court of Chancery in London, Hurleston claiming that William Parker had discharged the annuity in 1612 by paying to Robert Sackett in the North porch of the parish church of Ashe, as required by the deed of annuity, a capital sum of £63.
     Hurleston disputed that he owed anything to Paul Sackett, but that if he did it would be only his fair share with other holders of the lands once owned by William Parker.
     The matter rested for some years until, in 1638, Paul Sackett actioned, again in the Court of Chancery, William Jones, Henry Austen, Edward Hubberd, Simon Hurlestone, and William Brewer, the then holders of the William Parker lands, for enforcement of the deed of annuity.
     Paul Sackett claimed that William Parker had not only failed to pay the rent due under the deed but had conspired with others to subdivide and sell the lands, rendering some of the lands unidentifiable through change of use and through merging with other land holdings.
     The case became acrimonious, with each side accusing the other of behaving fraudulently.
     The outcome of the case is not known although it must, for many years, have been the cause of a major rift, not least because Paul Sackett's older brother William Sackett was married to Joan Parker, a cousin of William Parker.

Katherine Sackett, daughter of Robert Sackett and Faith Norwood, was baptized at Minster in Thanet, Kent^G, on 15 November 1590.¹ Katherine died in infancy and was buried at Minster in Thanet^G on 16 December 1590.²