THE KETrS OF NORFOLK A YEOMAN FAMILY. COMPILED BY L. M. KETT. LONDON: .:MITCHELL HUGHES AND CLARKE, 11-13 BREAM'S BUILDINGS, CHANCERY LANE, E.O. 4. 1921. IN·TRODUCTION BY 80METDlE _SCHREINBR SCHOLil OF DOWNING COLLEGE, CillBRlDGE. THE KETT F.AMTT,Y traces its ancestry to a remote period of hiat-0ry. It would appear that the family name is derived ~m the old Danish- - VekeU, the sacred vessel used in sacrifices, and if -this be true then we have a link with the ages before the Conquest. Certain it ia; however, that the Ketts were living in Norfolk during the reign of Wi11ia,m I., for there are no fewer than four references to people who may, with small doubt, be members of the family, in Domesday Book. Since the twelfth century they liave settled at Wymondham, and fro~ taat time - we have records of their unbroken succession stretching over eight hundred years to the present day. Three hundred years of comparative prosperity were followed by a, long peri9(1 of persecution. From 1200 to 1550 the Ketts advanced from success to success, until fuially they attained. a position of considerable local importance. In ea1·lier days they bad been taught by the.monks of the neighbouring abbey, a Benedictine foundation established at the _beginning of the twelfth century. We find frequent r-eferenee t-0 their activities in the fairs and miracle plays held at Wymondham throughout the Middle Ages. The widespread feeling of discontent and the undoubted grievances of the peasantry during the reign of Edward VI. induced a prominent .member of the Kett family to raise the standard of rebellion. The fa,mou.s insurrection of Robert Kett in 1549 is too well known to call for any description here. Suffice it to say that the movement was quickly suppressed, and the stern hand of the law fell heavily on the heads of the unfortunate instigators. For more than a century the Ketts had to live down the memory of the rebellion, but in the ·end they once more" established their position in the county. At no time. were they lacking in courage-one of their number perished at the stake rather than recant his opinions. At no time did they fail to carry on in worthy fashion the lV• INTRODUCTION. high traditions of Robert Kett. A branch of the family subsequently emigrated to the West Indies to be some of the pioneers of Empire in those islands. With this brief resume _of the history of the Kett family, we wi11 proceed to a few remarks concerning Mr. George Kett, to whose lifelong and devoted labours the present work is mainly due. He was born at Wymondbam in 1836, the eldest son of his father, ·who had established a small business in the village as a wood carver. The elder Kett had been engaged on restoration work in several Norfolk churches, and after a while he removed to Norwich to repair and renew-some of the stalls in the cathe<µ"81 there. It was at this time that a Mr. Rattee was appren­ ticed under him, and later the two went into partnership to form the well-known firm o-f Rattee and Kett. Some time afterwards the elder Mr.- Kett submitted on invitation a number of designs of wood carving for the new Houses of Parliament then being c~nstructed from the plans of Sir Charles Barry. They were immediately accepted, and in order t-0 · execute them Mr. Kett, taking his family with him, proceeded to London in 1845. · Young George Kett .was sent ro a private school, and there he received the greater part of his academi~ education. After an interval of three years the family settled at Cambridge, where definite business premises were set up. :Many· important restorations were effected by the joint efforts of the two partners, notable among them being the stalls of Ely Cathedral. Mr. Rattee died in 1854, but his widow retained an interest in the firm until her demise in 1866, in which year the elder Kett became sole proprietor. George Kett began to work: at a very early age and astonished all who knew him by his energy and ability. He was inti~tely connected with all the activities of the :6.nn until his retirem·ent in 1902, and during that long period his knowledge grew profound with the years a.nd hi~ opinion was sought for and respected by everybody. Business, neverthe­ less, did not entirely absorb his attentions. For many years he devoted his leisure moments to the pedigree of the Kett family. It became his "hobby." He accumulated a mass of MSS. relating to the subject, and, after his retirement from business, he was able, with the helpful assistance of Mr. Campling and others, to arrange the pedigrees for publication. It was not until the closing years of his life that the book was produced, and by that time- his eyesight was almo$t completely dimmed. It is pathetic to recall that the old gentleman was never able to re~d the pages his loving and lifelong efforts had done so much to prepare. He died full of years and honour in 1914. The late Mr. George Kett achieved the highest municipal honours in Cambridge. He was thrice Mayor of the Borough. For twenty years he served as an Alderman, and he had been a County Councillor. A well­ known Cambridge celebrity, he was generous and courteous to a degree. His kindly sympathies won the hearts of all who knew him. His wife, " . _. - • > INTRO-DUCT ION. V ":ho was equally well loved in Cambridge, predeceased_ her husband by seven years. :Mr. George Kett left behind him a, name whic:h is still spoken of with pride and regret among the inhabitants of the old University town. The present volume, which includes the greater part of Mr. George Kett's 1~esearches, is the work of several hands. To Miss Marion Kett has fallen the onerous task of compiling and making extracts from many hundreds of manuscripts. With her it has been a labour of love. ~ the course of her labours she has examined many MSS., wills and testaments of Wymondham. All tho,S.e relating 'to the Kett family were used in the present compilation so that it should be both accurate and exhaustive. Mr. A..- Campling, connected by marriage with the Kett family, has greatly assisted the product.ion of the book with his remarkable knowledge of genealogy and heraldry. His collection of twenty thou.sand Norfolk pedigrees contained many which proved invaluable in solving disputed points in the histiory of _the Ketts. I have been asked to convey the thanks of the authors to Mr. Frederick Johnson, brother-in-law to the present Mr. George ~ett, who generously presented the paper for the present volume. Buckingham Palace Road, S.W. October, 1920. THE KETTS OF NORFOLK. INTRODUCTION. THE first Kett we meet with in Norfolk occurs in an old Chartulary of Wymond.ham Abbey in the British Museum, Titus C. VIII., undated, but said.to be not later than 1300, and to be a copy of an earlier Chartu­ lary. There are some dates to be found in it, a,nd the last date before the following entry is 1225. Among other things it contains a charter of Robert, son of Ralph, son of Odo de Morley, p. 59B: "I, Robert son of Ralph, son of Odo de Morley, grant and confirm to the church of St. Mary of Wymondham and the monks of the same •.•• for the health of my soul and the souls of my father and mother and of all my friends and benefactors, the services of Hubert,· son of Godwin Ket and of Katherine his wife, also a tenement which was Sari de Morley's." Also land in Ridings Estcroft, Scorteland, and H orlecroft, etc. The Danish origin of the Ketts is indicated in the name of Godwin, and the pedigree goes back to him. Having regard to the date 1225, it would make 1140 a probable date for Godwin's birth. It seems unlikely that any documentary evidence now exists that will prove an earlier generation. We have Domesday compiled 1086. From the scarcity of surnames in that record no clear reference to the Ketts of East Anglia is forthcoming, but christian names similar to those of the earliest recorded members of the Kett family have been found. They have been abstracted from the Norfolk Domesday and closely analysed. It is worth noting that the association of one group of Godwins, Hughs, and Huberts indicates a probable derivation from Toka, a "francigena" or foreigner (another word is used for Frank or Frenchman). This Toka was born about 960 A.D. These men were tenants of the de Morleys and the B 2 THE KETTS OP NORPOLK. previous holders of de Morley lands. The following pedigree is appended, for what it is worth, as being reasonably probable:- Toka=;= ..•••• Bom about 960~ I Godwin tkesone,-•..... Born about 1000; held land at Wooton, eo. Norfolk i (246b.), under Gert, from the King, brother of Harold, ! 1042-106§,;, also called the "Other Godwin"; Dome.q- i day, £0. 33Sb., "son of Toka," Smfolk:. i I .,.. ___ _: . Godwin,-•..••. Born about 1030; held land at Wooton under Godwin Tokesone, and in Panxford and Plumstead, co. Nor­ folk, under Gert, 1042-1066. .____ _,.. Hugh=,= .••.•• :Born about 1060 ; succeeded to Godwin's land in i Panxford and Plumstead, which he held in 1086. t Hugh also then held la,nd in Morley and Aslacton.