Isabel was born in the parish of East Bridgford in Nottinghamshire in 1612.

She married Francis Hacker at Saint Peter’s Church in Nottingham on 5 July 1632. At the time, she was aged 20, some six years older than her young, gentrified husband.

Born into a well-off family, Isabel had lived a comfortable life. Her marriage to the eldest son of the Hacker family, who was heir to a 300-acre estate in Stathern and a farm in Colston Bassett, both located in the Vale of Belvoir, secured her position in the local area as a woman of status.

Isabel was a strong, independently-minded woman. 

She often clashed with her husband, particularly over religious matters. And although they enjoyed a loving and productive union – she bore six children as a result of her marriage to Francis– her allegiance to the new Children of Light religious sect (known today as The Quakers) and her respect for its leader, George Fox, was a source of agitation between the couple.

And like Francis, Isabel was also a strong supporter of the Parliamentary cause, and the need to bring the King to heel.