Edward Drax Free (1764–1843) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

clergyman. The youngest son of a clergyman, Edward Drax Free became a member of

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

, where he proceeded to the degrees of BA, MA, BD, and DD and was eventually elected to a

Fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. He was also appointed Vicar of St Giles' Church,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. In Oxford he lived a very scandalous life and was on the verge of being sent down from St John's College when he was appointed Rector of the Church of All Saints,

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

, Bedfordshire in 1808. It is alleged that he stole the

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

off his own church

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...

to sell for scrap. He also impregnated several of his housekeepers, allowed swine to desecrate the graveyard, and had been publicly abusive, both sober and drunk. His downfall came when he attempted to have the churchwarden

Montagu Burgoyne Montagu Burgoyne (19 July 1750 – 6 March 1836) was a British politician and writer. Life Burgoyne was a younger son of Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet (1710–1780) of Burgoyne of Sutton, Bedfordshire. He was a member of Trinity Hall, Cambr ...

fined for non-attendance at

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

using a law passed during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. He was removed from his living at the parish in 1830. He died in 1843 when a

cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

hit him in a road accident.

External links

Eddy Free

{{DEFAULTSORT:Free, Edward Drax 1764 births 1843 deaths People from Sutton, Bedfordshire 19th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Road incident deaths in England Scandals in England

Further reading

See also

External links