Sassen was once held by the Counts of Nürburg. The court was in Ülmen. Tithes were paid to the castle there and to Nürburg. On the Hohe Acht, a height near the village (not the like-named mountain), lay two fields, one named Zehntanwand and the other Freianwand, references to paying tithes (Zehnten - frei means free).