FOURTEENTH GENERATION

15392. William DRAKE ^{(322) (312)} was born in 1550 in White Notley, England. He died on Nov 3 1616 in Elmstead, England.

William, the eldest son of William and Joan Drake, was born about 1550 probably at White Notley. Being the eldest son, it would have been expected that he would have succeeded to his father's lands; however, this was not the case. His younger brother John remained at White Notley. In a Court for Black Notley on May 21, 1589, John Drake was described as "Johannes Drake claudes" -- that is, the lame or cripple. In view of the fact that his brother John was lame and had also married a local girl, it is likely that William let him take up their father's property. Apparently William moved to Halstead where, on October 12, 1478, he had married Joan Merrylls (also Merrells, Merrels). Sometime between 1584 and 1592, the family left Halstead and moved to Elmstead. The reason for this move was probably economic. William was a husbandman or farmer.

William Drake and his wife were extreme Puritans who rejected the established Church of England. In the records of the Archdeacon of Colchester's Court we find them being fined for not attending the parish Church in 1611, and again in 1615 he was presented by the Churchwardens of Elmstead "for not coming orderly to Church on the Sabbath Daye" and was duly fined 12d. on June 28, 1615. He was buried at Elmstead on November 3, 1616. His wife, Joan, died at the beginning of the next year and was buried on March 30, 1617, at Elmstead. Her will, dated March 16, 1617, was proved later the same year in the Commissary Court of the Bishop of London.

William and Joan had 10 children: Robert, Isabel, Thomas, Jushua, Joseph, Joan, thomas, Alice, Ellen, Elizabeth.

Compiled in Sep. 1980 by Stanley Ross Williams He was married to Joan MERRYLLS on Oct 12 1578.

15393. Joan MERRYLLS ^(322)(336) was born in 1557 in Halstead, County Essex, England. She died in 1617 in Elmstead, England. Children were:

7696 i. Robert DRAKE.