David Honeysett (1740 - 1810)
Wheelwright of Brightling
David, a son of John and Martha, was baptised in Dallington on 27 January 1739/40. He became a wheelwright like his father, and married Ann Hack (1744-1816?, daughter of Thomas of Brightling) in Warbleton on 9 April 1765. All their children were baptised in Brightling.
Ann
27 Apr 1766
9 May 1768
Henry
9 Mar 1770
Elizabeth
21 Jul 1772
William
24 Jun 1774
29 Aug 1776
Sarah
26 Aug 1779
buried 10 Oct 1779
Betty
22 Sep 1780
buried 27 Feb 1781
Philly
21 Feb 1782
Alice
26 Apr 1784
Deeds of Little Bunces, Warbleton, appear to show that 'David Honeysett of Brightling, Wheeler' had lent a £30 mortgage to Stephen Coney of Warbleton, which was cancelled in 1770. ROHAS tenement analysis of Brightling shows that in 1783 and 1785 David was the tenant of a 'house, shop, yard and field' totaling about 1 acre and called 'Carpenters' belonging to the Brightling Estate of the Fuller family.
David was buried in Brightling on 12 April 1810.
In 1810 Ann purchased property at Sparrows Green, Wadhurst, for £225. Her will, written in 1814 was proved in Canterbury on 28 March 1816 and said that her estate was to be divided into 8 equal portions, one for each of her children with 2 provisos; Ann had already died so her share went to her children; Philadelphia seems to have married unwisely as her husband was specifically excluded from any benefit so that it should not be used to pay off his debts. The Sparrows Green property was sold by her son David to William Christian of Wadhurst for £200 in October 1816.
Extracts from Ann's will:
This is the last Will & Testament of me Ann Hunnisett of Sandhurst in the County of Kent widow made the fifth day of October one thousand eight hundred & fourteen ......
...... I give & bequeath unto my three Daughters Elizabeth the wife of George Smith & Philadelphia the wife of William Hicks & Alice the wife of John Mann my wearing apparel ......
...... also I give and bequeath unto my Son in Law Peter Pope of Hawkhurst in the County of Kent Butcher & my Son Henry Hunnisett ...... all the Rest ...... that they ...... divide the same into eight equal parts & shares & pay to the said Peter Pope to & for the use of all such children as he shall have living at the time of my death by his late wife Ann one eighth part ...... unto My Son Benjamin Hunnisett, my said daughter Elizabeth Smith, my sons Henry Hunnisett William Hunnisett & David Hunnisett, my other daughter Alice Mann each one other eighth part ...... the remainder Eighth part or share thereof I do hereby order & direct my said Trustees ...... to pay into the proper hands of my said daughter Philadelphia Hicks ...... exclusive of the said William Hicks who is not to intermeddle therewith it being my will & meaning that the same shall not be subject to his debts contracts or engagements ......
Ann Honeysett
Of David's children:
- Ann married Peter Pope, a butcher of Hawkhurst, Kent, and probably died in 1802.
- Benjamin married Elizabeth Noakes at Salehurst parish church on 18 February 1789 and lived in London.
- Henry married Mary Crispe at Aldermanbry, London, on 1 November 1792 but she must have died as he married Susanna Arkcole at St Brides, Fleet Street, on 21 February 1816. However at the time he died in 1820 he had no children by either of them, although Susanna had children of her own from a previous marriage. From his will it is clear he was very well off, farming land he leased from William Crispe in Linton, Kent, where he lived, and the adjacent parish of Hunton. He also owned his own land and property at Coxheath in Linton and Hunton, and property including a baker's shop in Burwash. He leased four properties in Higglers Lane, Friars Street, Blackfriars, London. Among his bequests were a thousand pounds divided between Susanna's four children, fifty pounds to Catherine Crispe, twenty pounds to his godson Stephen Long and the rest to be shared between the children of his brothers and sisters. The leases on his Blackfriars properties passed to three of his brother Benjamin's children.
- Elizabeth married George Smith in Hawkhurst on 6 June 1805.
- David was a coach wheelwright and married Martha Screaton in Westminster on 3 June 1801, and then Grace Pearson at Westminster on 1 October 1805.
- Philadelphia married William Hicks, but according to her mother’s will of 1813 William was something of a wastrel as he was specifically excluded from benefiting from the will.
- Alice married John Mann.