William William Drake

September 28, 1606 (age 62)

He then went to Christ Church, Oxford in 1624, where he befriended John Gregory, and was tutored by George Morley. He purchased Amersham, which his father had represented in Parliament during the 1620s, in 1637. At around the same time he bought office in the Court of Common Pleas. He was later (1652) a chirographer to the court. He was knighted on 15 July 1641 and created baronet, of Shardeloes on 17 July 1641. He was re-elected to Amersham in 1641 in the Long Parliament and was excluded in Pride"s Purge in 1648. The exclusion was nominal, however: Drake was very unwilling to come off the fence at the beginning of the First English Civil War, and in 1643 applied for leave to travel abroad. He was out of the country for most of the period to 1660. He was re-elected for Amersham in 1661 and held the seat until his death. A collection of commonplace books was discovered at Shardloes in 1643, but was first identified with William Tothill, who had served as steward to Francis Bacon. As such they were purchased by C. K. Ogden, who left them to University College, London. They were identified as Drake"s in 1976. With other materials from the collections, manuscripts that have been identified subsequently, and some of Drake"s books that have survived with annotations, Sharpe has called Drake"s legacy "the greatest archival resource we have to chart how an early modern English gentleman read".

William William Drake

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Background

Drake was the son of Francis Drake of Esher, and his wife Joan Tothill, daughter of William Tothill of Shardeloes, Buckinghamshire.

Education

He studied under Charles Croke.

Career

He then went to Christ Church, Oxford in 1624, where he befriended John Gregory, and was tutored by George Morley. He purchased Amersham, which his father had represented in Parliament during the 1620s, in 1637. At around the same time he bought office in the Court of Common Pleas.

He was later (1652) a chirographer to the court.

He was knighted on 15 July 1641 and created baronet, of Shardeloes on 17 July 1641. He was re-elected to Amersham in 1641 in the Long Parliament and was excluded in Pride"s Purge in 1648.

The exclusion was nominal, however: Drake was very unwilling to come off the fence at the beginning of the First English Civil War, and in 1643 applied for leave to travel abroad. He was out of the country for most of the period to 1660.

He was re-elected for Amersham in 1661 and held the seat until his death.

A collection of commonplace books was discovered at Shardloes in 1643, but was first identified with William Tothill, who had served as steward to Francis Bacon. As such they were purchased by C. K. Ogden, who left them to University College, London. They were identified as Drake"s in 1976.

With other materials from the collections, manuscripts that have been identified subsequently, and some of Drake"s books that have survived with annotations, Sharpe has called Drake"s legacy "the greatest archival resource we have to chart how an early modern English gentleman read".

Membership

Short Parliament; Cavalier Parliament]

In April 1640, Drake was elected Member of Parliament for Amersham in the Short Parliament.

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William William Drake

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