Sassoon's father, Alfred, came from a very rich family, but they did not approve of his marriage and as a result he did not inherit any of the family fortune. Sassoon's mother, Theresa, came from a family of artists. She and Alfred had three sons: Michael, Siegfried and Hamo, but Alfred left her when the children were still very young. Alfred himself died not long afterwards, leaving Theresa to bring up the three boys. Although they were not as wealthy as Alfred's family, they were able to live comfortably in a large house near the village of Matfield in Kent.