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Richard Sackett & Jane Kemp
 

Ancestors of
Richard Sackett

Ancestors of
Jane Kemp

Richard Sackett
1836 –

John Kemp Sackett
1839 –

Mary Jane Sackett
1843 –

William Sackett
1847 – 1918

 

 

Pat Tritton relates the unusual story of her Great-great-grandparent's lives -

Richard Henry Sackett, eldest son of Richard and Jane (née Kemp) Sackett, was baptised at St Leonard’s Church, Deal, on 14 March 1813.  An Indenture shows that he was apprenticed to John Fisher as a brazier and tin plate worker for seven years, from 12 September 1828.

Richard married Sarah Ann Kemp on Christmas Day, 1835, at Sholden, near Deal. In 1841 they were living in Deal, where Richard was a publican. By now they had two sons, Richard and John Kemp Sackett, who were baptised at St Leonard’s, Deal. The couple had two more children, Mary Jane and William.

Richard Henry disappears from the scene after this and, it was always assumed that he had died, as Sarah, Mary Jane and William were admitted to Eastry Workhouse, sometime between 1847 and 1851.  Sarah later found employment in Deal as a housekeeper.

Richard Henry reappears, though, in London, in 1851, albeit under a slightly different name – William Henry Sacker (sic), tin and zinc manufacturer, of 29 Hayfield Place, Mile End!  There is no actual evidence to say that this really is our Richard Henry, but by 1861 we are sure that our Richard is living at 9 Harrow Cottage, High Street, Stratford, with ‘wife’ Mary.   The marriage of Richard and Mary Webb is later registered at St Leonard’s, Shoreditch, on 5 August 1867.

In 1871, Richard and Mary, and a son, Arthur, were living at 92 High Street, Stratford, where Richard was still a tinman, although Arthur was actually Richard’s nephew, the son of his younger brother Robert.

Richard Henry died in 1872 and it appears that he left his tinplate business to his nephew Arthur, although his eldest son was still alive at the time, living not far away in Stratford and working as a general labourer.

Sarah died on 17 December 1892 in Canterbury workhouse. Her grandson William Sackett witnessed her death, and the certificate describes her as the widow of Richard Sackett, tinman and brazier.

We shall never know whether the family really thought that Richard Henry had died, or whether they wished to conceal the fact that he had deserted them.

Sarah was buried in Canterbury cemetery, and two years later, her granddaughter Jessie Sackett, who had been killed in a railway accident in 1894, was buried in the same grave