John Drake (c.1556 – 11 April 1628) was an English politician who sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
at various times between 1614 and 1626.
Drake was the eldest son of
Sir Bernard Drake, of
Ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
and Mount Drake, Devon. He matriculated at
Hart Hall, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...
in 1573, aged 17 and studied law at the
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
in 1578. He succeeded his father in 1586.
He sat on the bench as
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for Devon by 1601 to his death and for Dorset from 1614 to his death. He was appointed
High Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
for 1604–05 and deputy-lieutenant for Devon from 1614 to his death.
He was a member of the
Virginia Company
The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the object of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day Main ...
from 1612 and the
New England Company
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England (also known as the New England Company or Company for Propagation of the Gospel in New England and the parts adjacent in America) is a British charitable organization created to promote ...
from 1620.
In 1614, he was elected
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. He was re-elected MP for Devon in 1621 and 1624. In 1625 he was elected MP for
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...
. He was elected MP for Devon again in 1626.
[ 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500–1714: Disbrowe-Dyve', Alumni Oxonienses 1500–1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 406–439. Date accessed: 19 November 2011]
/ref>
Drake died and was buried at Musbury the same day on 11 April 1628. In or before 1585 he had married Dorothy, the daughter of William Button MP of Alton Priors
Alton may refer to:
People
*Alton (given name)
*Alton (surname)
Places Australia
*Alton National Park, Queensland
*Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne
Canada
* Alton, Ontario
* Alton, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Alton, New Zealand, ...
, Wiltshire, with whom he had two sons and a daughter: John Drake (1591–1636), Mary Drake (1594–1643) and William Drake (1596–1640).
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, John
1550s births
1628 deaths
Alumni of Hart Hall, Oxford
Members of the Middle Temple
English MPs 1614
English MPs 1621–1622
English MPs 1624–1625
English MPs 1625
English MPs 1626
High Sheriffs of Devon
Deputy Lieutenants of Devon
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Devon