Roger Hackett was the son of Sir Cuthbert Hackett and Judeth Woar born in 1559 into a merchant family of Dyers in London. His father became Lord Mayor of London in 1626.
He was born in the parish of St James, Garlick Hythe, London. 1559 was the second year of the Protestant Reign of Elizabeth 1 following the 5 years of Catholic Reign of her sister Mary and so religion was the leading subject of the day in those times.
Roger obtained a scholarship at Winchester College in 1573 when he was aged 14 and followed up his education at New College Oxford in 1575-76.
He was elected a Fellow of New College in 1577 and continued his education to become a Bachelor of Arts in 1579, a Master of Arts in 1583 and a Bachelor of Divinity in 1590.
It was in 1590 on 7th April that Roger was appointed Rector of North Crawley.
Roger bought Franklins farm (Crawley Grange) with 80 acres of pasture and 60 acres of open field arable from the Children of Anthony Tyringham, Arthur and Thomas for £1900.
(Anthony Tyringham had previously bought Franklins Farm, Hollows Manor and Broadmead Farm and had inherited Tyringham Manor in North Crawley. According to Chibnall Tyringham Manor may have been in the Open Fields near Hurst End).
Roger also bought Rookery Farm and 25 acres and Church End Farm with the adjoining Newtons Close (4 acres) and Roles Close (3 acres). He must have acquired the Rectory to enable his appointment as Rector of North Crawley on 7th April 1590.
Roger obviously continued his religious studies at Oxford to become Doctor of Divinity in 1596 and became famous as a preacher, preaching at St Paul’s Cross in 1591 and published a number of sermons. Wood’s Athenae Oxon mentions 5 sermons and there is a 1628 reprint of his 1593 sermon in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Roger’s Will is dated 21st August 1621 which left several books to New College and he was buried in North Crawley on 16th September 1621.