Hello, have emailed you this hopefully bit thought others may be interested. It's quotes from a book I picked up from Bere Ferrers church. from a book called a history of Bere Ferrers parish by the Rev Arthur jc Beddows. Book reads;
"church registers. These are very ancient, going back in an unbroken line to December 1538. In September of that year Thomas Cromwell, Lord chancellor, ordered all parish priests to keep records. One record of interest is the marriage of the great great nephew of Sir Frances drake 6th February 1665. The words of the register are 'francis drake baronet and Dorothy bampfyld of ley'. Tradition is he rowed across the task from Buckland abbey to marry his bride. In those days Ley, a farm in Bere Ferrers, belonged to the Drake family.
There is a tale that has been told to me by more than on parishioner. It is about Mr drake, clerk at the parish church, who lived at monkeys castle. In the 19th century the services were very long, and especially the sermons. The church had box pews with high sides, which provided ample opportunity for the children to have great fun., as they hoped unseen. During the sermon, if Mr drake saw any boy miss behaving he would come round and hit them on the head with a stick. I often thought that his tale had been related to me by the relatives of those who suffered from these escapades "
Another quote from same book
"Ley farm was once a manor and originally called Legh (saxon from meadow, lea). It belonged to William design Legh in 1296 and years later was brought by Sir James ley, whom James 1 created a baron and afterwards became earl of Marlborough. It eventually belonged to the drake family. There used to be a chapel here. In the church wardens account for 1601 it states 'recived for certyn stores of the pishe (parish) taken from the Chappel sold to tho bayly xiiixs' this could be the chapel at ley. Close to Ley is hawcombe now a few ruined buildings. Tradition has it that the father of Francis Drake lived here prior to his moving to Tavistock, when he met his girlfriend and married at Tavistock church. It was at Hawcombe that the two monks dwelt, mentioned earlier (in bit I'm about to quote!) and who helped with the salt works"
Third quote come before above in book
"monkeys castle
As a connecting link between Bere Alston and Bere Ferrers, let me tell you of the legend of monkeys castle. An old legend relates that the people decided to build a church and thought the fairest way to solve where to build it was to put it half way between the two villages. So they set to work, and each evening the stones where moved by monkeys. The next morning they built again using more stones, and when the evening came the same happened again. This went on for some time, each evening the monkeys removed the stones.(history does not relate whether it was two or four legged monkeys!) so the people decided not to build on this spot
This is only legend, and now for fact. There is a place called monkeys castle. It is on the road to Bere Alston from Bere Ferrers and near the turning for hole farm. Once there.was a house here in the 19TH century the parish clerk, Mr drake, lived here. The parish church has been on its present site for over thousand years, and a churh at Bere Alston since 14th century. The word monkey did not come into our language until Elizabethen times. But the old spelling of monk was monkeys and this house used to be called monk's castle. Also I have been told by an old parishioner that just before the dissolution of monistaries. By Henry viii two monkeys lived in a cottage not far from here"
I have two theories, my first was that The drakes were based around Ley and ley farm (I think ley is fairly close to monkeys castle but nearer the river) and as the family expanded and sub diverted our part brought a cottage that once belonged to two monks. Now you mention a squatters cottage, it could be possible that.our part of the drakes needed a house, and " borrowed " stone from a perhaps by then derelict monks (monke) cottage and/or chapel or monistary that was on effect on their families land. Maybe the monkey legend was around well before monkeys castle was built or grew at the time, but the name monkeys castle could be a tounge in cheek reference to the legend acknowledging with good humour where the stones came from. If that legend had been around for years prior, I'd wouldn't be able to resist calling in monkey castle. On the Bere Alston side of well farm island layby and a wide y shaped junction. The road is wide above the site of monkey farm for hunt meets.
Ment to ask earlier but what is your or othersuitable opinions on this line being related to sir francis drake. I know he never had children so no chance of direct linkage, and he past his title to his oldest/favourite (can't remember which) nephew. But I guess he had other nephews. Given what I have quoted above, and that the Bere Ferrers/Tavistock area isn't huge I'd have thought two distinctly different drake familiys's is not so likely. I wonder if francis and our line share grandparents somewhere along the line.
