Sir Francis Henry Drake, 4th Baronet (1694–1740) of

Buckland Abbey Buckland Abbey is a Grade I listed 700-year-old house in Buckland Monachorum, near Yelverton, Devon, England, noted for its connection with Sir Richard Grenville the Younger and Sir Francis Drake. It is owned by the National Trust. Monastic ...

, Devon was a British landowner and 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. ...

from 1715 to 1740. Buckland Abbey tower

Early life

Drake was the eldest surviving son of

Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet (1642–1718), of Buckland Abbey in the parish of Buckland Monachorum and of Meavy, both in Devon, England, was elected seven times as a Member of Parliament for Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency), Tavistock in ...

and his third wife. Elizabeth Pollexfen, daughter of Sir Henry Pollexfen of Nutwell Court, Devon, and was baptized on 2 March 1694.George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Volume 1'' 1900
/ref> He was educated privately. Drake's father died in January 1718 and he succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and the heavily encumbered estate. He made a financially advantageous marriage to Anne Heathcote, daughter of Samuel Heathcote merchant of Clapton House, Hackney, Middlesex on 29 September 1720 and was able to pay off the debts with his wife's money. She was the sister of

Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet (15 March 1693 – 10 May 1751), of Hursley, Hampshire, was a British merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1722 and 1741. Heathcote was the second son of Samuel Heathcote, Esq., of Hac ...

. He succeeded his uncle Henry Pollexfen to the estate of Nutwell Court in 1732.

Career

At the 1715 general election Drake was returned as

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

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...

jointly on his own and the Bedford interest. He was returned unopposed at Tavistock in 1722 and 1727. He was also returned in 1727 for

Bere Alston Bere Alston is a village in West Devon in the county of Devon in England. It forms part of the civil parish of Bere Ferrers. History and geography With a population of about 2,000, the village lies in the Bere peninsula, between the rivers ...

where the family controlled one seat, but chose to sit for Tavistock. The new Duke of Bedford did not support him at Tavistock at the 1734 general election and he was defeated. However, he was returned for Bere Alston again and took his seat there until his death.

Death and legacy

Drake died of pleuritic fever at his lodgings at Covent Garden on 26 January 1740. Lady Ann Drake was buried at Hackney on 5 November 1768. They had three sons *

Sir Francis Henry Drake, 5th Baronet Sir Francis Henry Drake, 5th Baronet (29 August 1723 – 19 February 1794) was an English Master of the Household and Member of Parliament. He was born the eldest son of Sir Francis Drake, 4th Baronet, whom he succeeded in 1740. He was educated ...

who succeeded to the baronetcy *

Francis William Drake Francis William Drake (1724 – 1788 or 1789) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of vice-admiral of the red. Fam ...

, who married his first cousin, Sir William Heathcote's daughter, Elizabeth in 1763. *

Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet (1729 – 19 October 1789) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear-admiral of the ...

who became a baronet in his own right They also had two daughters

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Sir Francis Henry, 4th Baronet 1694 births 1740 deaths British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Bere Alston Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Tavistock