WILLIAM JACOB
Born in 1753 - died 18th March 1821

A son of Robert Jacob, of Alkham, he was born in 1753 and died on 18th March 1821. He married Susanna Fordred on 8th October 1785; she died aged 94 on 29th May 1856. They had children:

1 William, dsp
2 Thomas
3 Susanna, baptized 13th January 1791.
4 Mary, baptized 16th June 1793, and died at Sturry on 2nd June 1880.
5 Elizabeth, baptized in 1797. On 29th May 1837 she married Jeffrey Morphew.
6 John, dsp. He married Mary Elizabeth Morphew.

William had not only the leasehold of West Court and Almonry, or Church Farm at Northbourne, in Kent, but also the freehold of Skeat Farm, Lyminge, which he probably bought from his brother John, when John moved to Alkham. Possibly he had inherited it. John was the first treasurer of the Canterbury farmers' club.

In 1821 the Archbishop of Canterbury granted a lease of West Court Farm to William's son John, he now being a direct lessee. In 1821, the year of William's death, John his son was working the farm with him, which comprised some 550 acres. The original 7-year lease was renewed many times and John remained the lessee until his death in 1863. John and his wife Mary Elizabeth did not have any children, but the 1841 census shows that living with them at West Court were his mother Susannah, his niece Elizabeth, his nephew William, as well as 2 house servants and 8 agricultural labourers. This would indicate that the farm then was prosperous. Elizabeth and William were the children of John's brother Thomas. William went off to Sharsted Farm in Chatham and ultimately to Petworth. John took his last 7 year lease in 1856, by that time being described as a 'gentleman', no longer a farmer. He died in 1863, leaving an estate valued at £35.000, which was substantial