Spratt family - Wingham, Ash-next-Sandwich - Woonesborough

[Terrence White]

Tompion:

That does it! I had seen that 1634 marriage to Mary Harflete, but without the specifics of that 1710 will was unable to prove the connection.

Also, I have a christening record for a William Spratt son of William Spratt, baptised in Wingham on 7 July 1644 (the transcript says "1643," but the context of the actual image makes it clear that the year was really 1644). That's a little late, but still possible. Our William Sr. would have been 19 when licensed, if this is the same person.

I also have found a 1656 will for a William Spratt, Gentleman, in Eastwell. Think he is probably also related somehow. I haven't really attempted to decipher all of the crabbed 17th Century writing yet, but do see that it gives bequests to wife Mary, daughter Mary when she reaches age 21 or marries, eldest son William, and sons John, Henry, Thomas, and Samuel. (Those last named three sons were given their father's estate in Biddenden, Kent.) The testator William Spratt also left a small bequest of what looks like 10 shillings to the poor of the parishes of Eastwell and Boughton. I have JPEG images of that will, if you are interested. (It is also on Ancestry.com)

Also, I see a christening record for a Marie Harflete in St. Margaret's, Canterbury, on 12 June 1608, with father Edward. This could well be her. Her father Edward married Marie Goodhew on 22 October 1605, at St. Paul's, Canterbury. He was of that same parish, whereas Miss Goodhew was of the parish of Preston-next-Wingham. ... That same Edward Harflete is said on a few Ancestry trees to have been a son of a William Harflete, who was himself a son of the well-known Thomas "At Chequer" alias Septvans alias Harflete (ca. 1502-April 1559), who--as you rightly say--has quite a distinguished ancestry. If this connection is correct, then the appellation "At Chequer" could possibly explain and account for the "Chequer" name of the pub in Wingham owned by your ancestors Solomon and Mary (Cobb) Spratt in the 1730s and 1740s.

All for now.

Many, many thanks for this very important information!

Terrence

[tompion]

Hi Terrence,

I am still worried by that 'of Eastwell' as this is quite some way from Wingham and may suggest that the Spratt's moved from Eastwell to Wingham in the 1600's. 

Incidentally, the father of Mary was Henry Harflete:

Spratt, William, of Eastwell, g(ent)., ba(chelor)., about 24, and Mary Harflete of Ash, v(irgin)., about 21, d. of Henry Harflete, s. p., g., who consents. At S. Andrew's, Cant. Dec. 12, 1634.

Also, Henry Harflete's will is available and mentions his daughter Mary Sprat, wife of Mr William Spratt

I would be very interested to get a jpg of William Spratt of Eastwell's will - I can swap with Henry Harflete's will!  The latter is also very hard to read.

Yes, Solomon and then Mary Spratt held the license of the Chequers in Wingham which no longer exists although there is one of the same name in nearby Ash.

All the best, Tompion

[Terrence White]

Tompion:

Yes, I realised the other day (unfortunately) after I had sent my last message, that the Mary who was christened in 1610 in Ash, as a daughter of Henry, was a much better candidate to be the wife of Wm. Spratt in 1634. Your latest information only confirms that my suspicion was correct. I have the Harfletes pretty well documented back to Thomas At Chequer alias Harflete (d.1559), who married as his second wife Marian Brockhull, daughter of Edward, and then have the Brockhulls fairly reliably documented (so it seems) back to Sir John de Brockhull, Knt., of Saltwood, Kent (d.1378), and his wife Ida de Criol. About the Criols there is still some speculation amongst genealogists, but it seems very likely that Ida was a descendant of the Anglo-Norman nobililty, through at least the Pecche, Peverel, St. Liz, and perhaps most importantly, the de Clare family, of which the most significant scions were the Earls of Clare and Suffolk. My work now consists of firming up all of the above with as much reliably solid documentation as I can find.

As to the respective wills, kindly contact me at tjwhite1963 "at" gmail.com, and we can exchange JPEG copies of the Wm. Spratt of Eastwell and Henry Harflete of Ash wills. (I don't at all mind publicising my actual email address or photo on this site, because both are freely and publicly available elsewhere in many places.)

Oh, and I did find the other day the parish baptismal record from St. Nicholas, Ash, of "Henrie sonne of Henrye Harflete, gt." dated the 22nd day of January, 1580/1. This record also (miraculously) lists his actual birth date, the previous day, 21 January, of the same year. I will be happy to include this scan, should you not already have it.

Perhaps one day, with all of this solid documentation, I may consider pulling together a written, thoroughly-documented family history of these Spratts and their antecedents and some of their descendants, as I already have elsewhere for my ancestral White and Lovelace families.

I look forward to hearing from you, and many thanks for your very kind offer.

Sincerely,

T.J. White

[Foad Family Kent]

Hi Brian

I have Katherine in my tree, 4th cousin 4 x removed but still there
I do not have descendants for her two sons so would love to compare notes
Suzannah Foad

Hi Kathyw,

My paternal grandmother was Kathleen Foad daughter of Stephen Foad of Sutton Court, Near Deal.

Brian

[tompion]

Hi Suzannah,

Katherine Foad and Henry George Spratt had two boys.  My father, Clarence Albert Spratt (always called Jack) was born in 1908 at Churchgate Farm, Woodnesborough, and died in 1966 and Henry Lewis Spratt (always called Lewis) born in 1911 at the same place and died 1973.

My father married Marjory Alice Jeffreys and there were two children, me and my elder sister. Lewis never married. 

All best, Brian

[Foad Family Kent]

Lovely - Thank you 

[argent]

Hi. Browsing, I have just come across this page re: Spratt family. I recently found that I have a William Spratt c1643 who had a son Samuel married a Mary and their daughter Mary  born c1699, married Henry Morris of Littlebourne Kent. My line is down to the Pilcher family in Folkestone. I think this is correct....

[tompion]

Hi Argent, welcome - it would help if you had info on where these people were born/christened/married/died etc.  If you have such info I and others could look at the Spratt data we have collected - the Spratt family we are talking about came from Wingham and surroundings. Regards Tompion