East Drayton is a village in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, England. According to the
2001 census it had a population of 212, increasing to 252 at the
2011 Census, and 266 in
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
. It is located 3 miles west of
Dunham-on-Trent.
The
parish church of St Peter and
St Paul is 13th or 14th century in date.
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor ( – 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 principal architects ...
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086. "East" was added to distinguish the place from the village of
West Drayton, 4 miles west.
A
windmill
A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery.
Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
was recorded at East Drayton in 1712, a post mill with a full width enclosed porch and
porthole-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 ( – 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 principal architects ...
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, his father Nicholas was a husbandman at East Drayton. Hawksmoor's mother, unnamed, later remarried to a William Theaker, and the children 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 met others who recognised his talents and encouraged him to re-locate 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.
See also
*
Listed buildings in East Drayton
References
External links
YouTube video - parish visit journal
Villages in Nottinghamshire
Civil parishes in Nottinghamshire
Bassetlaw District
{{Nottinghamshire