At this time, when the name of Sir Francis
Drake has been so prominently before the public, some
gleanings relative to him not generally known may be
acceptable. The story given by Prince, in his " Worthies of
Devon," is too well known to need repeating, and was for some
time generally accepted as a correct account of the quarrel
between Sir Francis and Sir Bernard Drake; and though Barrow,
in his life of Sir Francis Drake, quotes it, declaring it to
be " as absurd as improbable," he adds, "it appears to be
unsupported by any evidence." Although much embellished in the
telling, there were undoubtedly some grounds for the tale, for
the wyvern of Drake was, it is certain, originally introduced
into the crest of Sir Francis, but not hung up by the heels,
as will appear below. The facts of the case appear to be
these :—Sir Francis was born in a humble station; his parents
had no thought of being entitled to armorial ensigns, nor was
it until their son had acquired a prominent position that the
thought was ever entertained of claiming relationship to the
Family of Drake of Ashe (whose representative at that time was
Sir Bernard Drake), yet it is quite certain that Sir Francis
greatly desired to graft himself on to the house of Drake of
Ashe, but whether this desire arose from a personal weakness
on the point of ancestry, or whether there was some vague
tradition in his family that they were descended from the same
stock as Sir Bernard, while the evidence is against such a
connection, it is certain Sir Francis did all he could to get
the connection acknowledged. For instance, in his will, he
calls Richard Drake of Esher (brother of Sir Bernard) his
cousin; he also became mortgagee of the estate of Ashe. In
the Herald's College is a MS. (F. 12, p. 164) which is
apparently the original draft of the grant of arms to Sir
Francis, as it contains many paragraphs subsequently erased
and altered. Amongst these alterations and additions is the
following : " Notwithstanding the sayd Sir Fraunces Drake may,
by prerogative of his birth, and by right from his auncestor,
bear the arms of his surname and family, to wit, Argent, a
wyver dragon gewels, with the difference of a third brother,
as I am credibly informed by the testimony of Bernard Drake,
of the county of Devon, Esquire, chief of that cotarmure, and
sondry others of that family of worship and good
credit." It would appear that Sir Francis, presuming on
Bernard Drake being under some obligation to him, expected he
would have attested the foregoing statement of their
relationship, but he refused, and Sir Francis, having failed
to satisfy the heralds, the paragraph was for very sufficient
reasons omitted from the grant made by Rob. Cooke, Clarencieux
King of Arms, dated 20th June, 1581, of which the following is
a copy, viz. :— " Whereas it hath pleased the Queen's Most
Excellent Majesty graciously to regard the praiseworthy
deserts of Sir Francis Drake, knight, and to remunerate the
same to him not only with the honorable order of knighthood
and by sundry other demonstrations of her Highness's especial
favor; but also further desirous that the impressions of her
princely affections toward him might be, as it were,
immortally derived and conveyed to his offspring and posterity
for ever, hath assigned and given unto him arms and tokens of
virtue and honor answerable to ye greatness of his deserts and
meete for his place and calling. That is to say, a field of
sable, a fesse wavy between two starres Argent. The healme
adorned with a globe terrestrial, upon the height whereof is a
ship under sail trained about the same with golden haulsers by
the direction of a hand appearing out of the clouds, all in
proper collour, with these words AUXILIO DIVINO. The said Arms
with all other the parts and ornaments thereof here in the
margin depicted, I Robert Cooke Esq., al's Glarencieux King of
Arms of the East, West and South parts of ye realme of
England, according as the duties of mine office binds me, have
caused to be registered, entered and recorded for perpetual
memory with the arms and other honourable and heroicall
monuments of the nobility and gentry within my said province
and marches. " In Witness whereof, I have hereunto
subscribed my name the twentieth day of June, in the year of
our Lord God 1581, and in the 23rd of the prosperous reign of
our most Gracious Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth, &c. "
Robt. Cooke, al's Clarencieux, Roy d' Armes." Although in
this grant no reference is made to the " wyvern," its
insertion in the rigging was at one time intended, as in a
draft or docket of the grant (Coll. of Arms, R. 21, p. 31), a
"Dragon volant sheweth itself; a sketch in the college of Arms
(MS. 184, p. 54) shows the wyvern with its wings displayed,
standing on the deck gules, and also an estoile or, on the
mast-head. This crest does not appear to have been used by Sir
Francis himself, but it was used by the descendants of his
brother, as late as Feb., 1740, as seen in a workbook in the
College of Arms, I.B., 18. 139. In an exemplification of the
crest in 1813 at the College of Arms (grants 27, p, 277), the
wyvern and estoile are omitted.  In the Bodleian Library, Ashmole MS. 834,
folios 37 and 38, are two drafts of the grant of Arms ; one
gives the red dragon and estoile in the crest, with the same
Arms as those in the grant above ; the other gives the " vpper
1 haulf of a red dragon," and makes the stars in the Arms
gold. After the death of Sir Bernard Drake, Sir Francis
quartered Drake of Ashe, with the coat granted to
him —viz., 1 and 4 arg., a wyvern wings displayed gu., 2
and 3 Sa., a fesse wavy betw. two estoiles arg., as appears on
a seal attached to some letters (Lansdowne MS. 70.) from Sir
Francis Drake to the Lord Treasurer Burghley in 1592 ; and in
Harl. MS. No. 4762, attached to a document dated 24th July,
1595, both after the death of Sir Bernard, which happened in
1586 ; but it is pretty clear that Thomas Drake, brother and
heir to Sir Francis, nor his descendants, considered they had
any right to the wyvern coat. The earliest mention of the name
of Drake in Devonshire is in the Assize Rolls, temp. Hen.
III., when Reginald Ie Drake held lands in Tiverton; the next
one Reginald Ie Drake a monk of Tavistock 4 Edw. III., De
Banco, but the name spread rapidly. The baptisms of the
children of Thomas and Robert Drake occur about 1590 in the
parish Registers of St. Andrew, Plymouth, beside many other
entries in the above and other Registers. In Burke's
Peerage, Sir Francis Drake is said to have married Elizabeth,
only daughter and heir of Sir George Sydenham, of Comb
Sydenham—marriage settlement dated 25th Aug., 1595, but no
mention is made of his first wife Mary Newman, she was buried
at St. Budeaux, and entered in the register there .is Mary
Drake, wife of Sir Francis Drake, Knight, buried 25 Jan., 1582
; her burial is also entered at St. Andrew's—viz., 1582, Jan.
20. The Lady Mary, wife of Sir Francis Drake. I hope to
return to this subject at a future time by some notes on the
arms and monuments of Drake at Buckland Monachorum.
THE ARMS OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
BY ARTHUR J. JEWERS,
F.S.A.
(CONCLUDING PAPER.)
In continuation of our former paper, and in fulfilment of
the promise contained in it, we proceed to notice the Arms in
Buckland Abbey, and in the parish church of Buckland
Monachorum.
 At the Abbey, on a full-length
portrait of Sir Francis himself, there are, in the upper
corner to the spectator's left, the arms granted by Cook,
Clarencieux, as before-mentioned, with this difference: the
red wyvern is added on the deck and estoile at the mast-head;
while in the opposite corner is painted "ætatis suæ 53, Anno
1594 " (the same arms are on the portrait of Sir Francis in
the Plymouth Guildhall). Over the fire-place, in what is known
as the Chapel-room, in the tower, are precisely the same Arms
as on the above painting, the ship in this case being
three-masted; on the side of the projecting chimney to the
left is a shield quarterly, viz., 1 and 4 a wyvern displayed,
2 and 3 a fesse wavy betw. two estoile; beneath it the date
1655, and the initials R. N.; on the opposite side are two
shields, the upper one, on the base barry wavy thereon a duct
naiant, doubtless for Maddock of Plymouth. The lower shield
bears, within three increscents, as many mullets (Gregorie).
Such is the armorial evidence remaining at Buckland Abbey.
 The following are notes of the Drake
monuments in the church of Buckland Monachorum; on an old
ledger stone almost obliterated, a shield of arms, viz.; Three
bars, thereon as many martlets, on a chief two bars nebule
(Crymes of Buckland Monachorum); imp. per fesse, in chief, a
fesse wavy betw. two estoiles (Drake), in base per fesse, in
chief three wolves heads erased, the base paly of six ; the
inscription is quite gone. Another large ledger stone, quite
perfect, but without any inscription, has these arms; a fesse
wavy betw. two estoiles, with the badge of a baronet, imp. on
a bend cotised betw. six lions ramp., five escallop shells
(Boon); for Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Bart., and his second wife
Ann, daughter and co-heir of Tho. Boon, of Mount Boon, co.
Devon, Esq. This Sir Francis died in 1714. On a mural monument
arms, Sa. a fesse wavy betw. two estoiles arg., with badge of
a, baronet; crest as in Cook's grant above. It is in memory of
Sir Francis Henry Drake, Bart, who died 19th Feb., 1794, aged
70. There are mural monuments for the first and second Lord
Heathfield, but as both have the arms of Eliot only, it is
unnecessary to describe them here. The foregoing are all the
Drake arms now in the church, though previous to its
restoration the arms of Drake, as granted by Cook, were in one
of the windows, also a lozenge charged with. Or, on a bend gu.
' three estoiles of the field (Bamfylde). There were also two
hatchments, the first for Francis Augustus, second Lord
Heathfield, viz., quarterly 1 and 4 gu. on a. bend or, a baton
az., on a chief of the last betw. two ' pillars a castle arg.
from the gate a golden key pendant, and below in letters of
the last, plus ultra (Elliot); 2 and 3 Sa. a fesse wavy betw.
two estoiles arg. (Drake); the arms surmounted by a baron's
coronet, and for crest a cubit arm erect vested gu., on it a
key, the ward in base gold, the hand gloved arg. holding a
scymiter ppr. Supporters, dexter a ram arg. armed and unguled,
or, sinister a goat arg., armed and unguled or; motto, FortHer
et recte. The arms on the other hatchment were in a lozenge,
quarterly, 1 and 4 Sa, a fesse wavy betw. two estoiles
(Drake), 2 Eliott as above. 3 arg. three bars and a canton
gu., imp. quarterly, 1 and 4 arg. a greyhound pass. Sa. gorged
with a crest coronet or, on a chief az. a lion ramp. betw. two
fleur de lis of the third, 2 and 3 per fesse emb. gu. and erm.
three, five-barred gates counterchanged on the centre of the
shield the badge of a baronet; It was for Dame Eleanor, wife
of Sir Thomas Drayton Fuller Eliott Drake, Bart., and only
daughter of James Halford Esq. of Laleham in Middlesex; she
died 18 Sept. 1841, aged 55, and is recorded on a mural
tablet.
 Beside the above, we may mention the
following as giving evidence of the arms used by the family.
In the church of St. Andrew, Plymouth, is a mural monument for
Francis Drake, Esq., Capt., R.N.,who died 26th Dec. 1729, aged
61, and his sister. Prudence Saussure, widow, who died 22 Nov.
1737, aged 90. Arms, Sa. on a fesse wavy betw. two estoiles
arg., a crescent gu. imp., quarterly arg. and az. in the first
and fourth a lion ramp. gu. Crest as in Cook's grant.  In the Church of Cornwood, Devon, is a
ledger stone partly covered by the font, for Lady Jane Rolle,
daughter of .... formerly wife of Richard Hals Esqre., and
late wife of Sir Henry Rolle Knt., she died 9 June 1634; Anns
(of which the dexter half only is uncovered) dexter per fesse,
in chief a fesse betw. three dragons' heads (Hals), in base a
fesse wavy letw. two estoiles (Drake) Sinister hidden by the
font. In the same church is a mural monument for Mr. John
Savery, son of Wm. Savery of Savery Esqre. by Prudence,
daughter of John Drake of Ivybridge Esq. He died 21 Feb. 1696.
Arms, Gu. a fesse vaire betw. three unicorns' heads couped or,
imp., Sa. a fesse wavy betw. two estoiles arg. (Drake). Also
Savery alone with a mullet for difference. From the above
notes it will be seen that the only place where we have been
able to find the wyvern quartered with the coat granted to the
great Sir Francis, is in an obscure corner in the tower at
Buckland Abbey, and here it must be noted, the wyvern does not
appear in the principil shield, whose ample size would well
allow of quartering, and show them prominently, but the
quartered shield is where it can only be seen when carefully
looked for, a wall facing it at about the distance of two
feet. The space at command has prevented our doing more than
give a brief summary of the arguments and evidences in the
case, the sum of which points that Sir Francis Drake failed to
prove to the heralds of his day, his descent from any one
whose legal right to Arms was recognised, whether it were the
red wyvern or  the older coat of Drake of Ashe—viz.,
arg. a chev. purp. betw. three halberts az.
In closing this
paper we gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity of
acknowledging the courteous attention and assistance of
Frederick Bundock Esq., of Buckland Abbey, in pointing out the
Arms remaining there, and of the Rev. K. J. Hayne, M.A., Vicar
of Buckland Monachorum, in a long search, and making copies
from the registers of his parish, relative to Drake, and other
names of local note. Those who wish to follow the subject up
without going to the original evidences will find the matter
more fully treated in the papers of Sir William Drake, and Dr.
H. H. Drake, in the Herald and Genealogist, Vol. VIII., pp.
307-476—478-482, to which this paper is indebted for reference
to MSS. in the College of Arms, British Museum, &c.
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