William and Rebecca Hatt, Yateley

William Hatt reigned at the Dog & Partridge for two days short of 54 years. His first lease, dated 1725, says he was from Crondall. He married Rebecca Stephens on 29 Aug 1751, a few years into his second 21-year lease. They produced three sons, William (Mar 1752), Thomas (Dec 1754) and Daniel (May 1756). William Hatt died on 18 Sep 1779 and Rebecca succeeded him as innkeeper. According to Stooks she had taken over the lease three years earlier and was succeeded by her son Daniel from 1780 to 1783. (The source of that information also is now lost.) Rebecca did not die until 1796, when she was 75.

William Hatt,like many of the publicans in Yateley, probably came from an established local family of Innkeepers. In 1689 a man named Tuckman hanged himself at Widow Hatt's in Blackwater and "was buried near the Hawley Stone upon the London Road". It sounds as though Widow Hatt was running an inn or boarding house for travellers. She was most probably Elizabeth Hatt, who died in 1706, the widow of Giles Hatt, blacksmith of Blackwater. Giles' inventory taken at his death in Dec 1685 reveals quite clearly that he was running a substantial 'motorway service station' catering for food, beer,lodging, and vehicle repairs. The Hatt family‘s contribution to Yateley‘s wellbeing and entertainment was long and considerable.

IF ANYONE HAS ANY FURTHER FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH ON THE HATT FAMILY WE SHOULD BE PLEASED TO HEAR FROM THEM

Dog and Partridge, Yateley