It is known that a John Drake, (son of John Drake of Otterton in south-east Devon and Christian, daughter of John Antage), married in about 1470, the daughter and heiress of John Cruwys. A further John Drake, eldest son of this union, went on to continue the famous Drake line of Otterton and Ashe. The balance of probabilities seems to indicate very strongly, that a younger son (or grandson) of this same union, inherited West Ruckham at Cruwys Morchard from the Cruwys family, moved there and started the line of Drakes at Cruwys Morchard, and this would be a likely explanation as to how the Drakes came to this village. West Ruckham is recorded as a Domesday Estate “belonging to the Manor” The “Notebook” declares that “the family of Drake are first mentioned as being owners of West Ruckham in 1550, where they continued to reside until about 1801” The date of 1550 noted above is probably the earliest date that the author found, that states that it was owned by the Drakes, but it is certainly possible that they had owned it for the previous 50 to 70 years but that no documentation has been found to support this. however we have found the earliest Drake Will preserved, dated 1552, that did indeed support earlier ownership by the family, as it described Ruckham “as an estate of inheritance” Extract taken From Guy Harris

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Submited Monday, 6 November 2006 1:17 AM - by Russell Downe From the Cruwys Morchard Drakes Reasearch Group.
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The Drake Family of Cruwys Morchard Devon