East Drayton is a village in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 212, increasing to 252 at the 2011 Census. It is located 3 miles west of Dunham-on-Trent. The parish church of St Peter and

St Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

is 13th or 14th century in date.

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...

the architect was born here. East Drayton was originally known simply as Drayton, and was recorded under that name in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086. "East" was added to distinguish the place from the village of

West Drayton West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. Th ...

, 4 miles west. A

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

was recorded at East Drayton in 1712, a post mill with a full width enclosed porch and

porthole A porthole, sometimes called bull's-eye window or bull's-eye, is a generally circular window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Though the term is of maritime origin, it is also used to describe round windows on armored vehicl ...

-like windows with shutters. It was possibly moved here from Lincolnshire. The village has a typical English pub with a Scottish hint, it also has a village sports club with a Saturday Football team during the winter months and in the summer a Saturday and Sunday cricket team.

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...

East Drayton (once called 'Great Drayton') is perhaps most important as the birthplace of the famous architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Much about his early days is uncertain, including even when he was born. Only after he was 18 did his path become well known, and then he became most famous for his connection with London buildings including the famous 'face' of Westminster Abbey. The most recent thinking places his birth in 1662, the son of another Nicholas who was a husbandman at East Drayton. His mother later remarried to William Theaker and the children of that family took most of the Drayton property. Local belief is that this was Hardings Farm in Riddings Lane. It has been suggested he went to school in Dunham, though this is not really known for certain. He did, though, get work with Samuel Mellish who was a north Notts landowner with some land at East Drayton, and from there he soon met others who saw his talents and took him off to London.O Hopkins, 'From the Shadows', London, 2015 In his will, which provides the best evidence for his links with the village, Hawksmoor left property at 'Great Drayton', Ragnall and Dunham, so he maintained some connection with the land of his birth. The will makes clear that his 'father in law' and his half-brother were living on his land at Drayton and could continue to use it. The will also laid down a condition that Hawksmoor's widow could go and live with them. After the death of his wife and daughter, lands at the three villages were to go to his brother William Theaker. William Theaker was wealthy enough to vote from East Drayton in 1722. A Benjamin Theaker was still a landowner at East Drayton in 1875 and one of the same name also owned land at Dunham in 1855. One Benjamin lived 1791-1868.

References

External links

Villages in Nottinghamshire Civil parishes in Nottinghamshire Bassetlaw District {{Nottinghamshire-geo-stub