Evening star., 1924-02-02
DY THE MARQUIsE DE FONTENOY.

BY THE MARQIlSE DE fONTENoh.
So many thousands of Americans
lof modest means, but Of credulous
minds, have been induced by shyster
lawyers and other unscrupulous in
dividuals to contribute their good
American dollars to their prosecution
of their alleged claims as heirs to
the mythical $Go0.ooo.o0o estate Of
England's great naval hero who
iflourished III the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, that the death the other
day Of old Lady Drake in her eighty
fourth year. widow of Sir Francis Elliott
Drake, the lawful heir OF the celebrated
navigator and owner of his lands, is
likely to arouse a considerable amount
of interest in this country.
AS the late Sir francis Elliott
Drake, who was formerly captain OF
the Royal Horse Guard and who
passed away in 1917 shortly after
celebrating his golden wedding, died
without male issue and his baronetcy
became extinct and his estates ex-
tending over some 10000 acres OF
land in Devonshire have now gone
10 hiS>pnly child, q daughter, married
TO Lord Seaton. Since she has no
Issue 1t Is probable that on her demise
she will leave the estate in which
her mother until now has had life
interest to her cousin, Thomas BrlSco,
son of the elder sister of the late SIR
Francis Drake. Thomas Brisco Will
then, in accordance with the usual
custom in such cases, obtain from
the crown a license to assume the
name of Elliott-Drake and the ar
IT. IrHn al ,l
may possibly in the long run secure
"a revival Of the Drake baronetcy.
The late Sir Francis Elliott Drake
was not direct descendant of Eng
lands Elizabethan naval hero for the
simple reason that the latter left no
The American claimants
OF the mythical Drake territorial
possessions base their pretensions on
the supposition that the great ad-
miral left two sons, John and francis
The latter and the older one of the
two, it is asserted, inherited his
fathers property and passed it on to
bis heirs in the main line direct until
the termination of the line, where
upon the property as we'll as the
title. according to the fantastic story,
should have reverted to the descend
ants of John, the younger son OF the
famous E1izabethan sea fighter. The
members of the Drake Estate Asso-
|ciation of the United States claim to
be the lineal heirs and descendants
of this John Drake, and 1t is on this
contention that they base their de-
mands.
Now the English official standard
"Peerages." "BaronetaEes" and analo-
gous works of reference. both of the
present day and Of the sixteenth, sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries. as
we'll as other official records still in
existence pertaining to the reign of
the virgin queen, demonstrate in the
most conclusive manner that the
great Sir Francis Drake. although
twice married, died without children.
In his will, dated May II, 1896, Lon
don, the original Of which, bearing
his own signature. is on file to this
day at Somerset House. in the Brit
ish metropolis, and shown to visitors
on payment of a small fee. he de-
clares that, being childless," he be-
aueaths his landed property, consist
ing Of Buckland Abbey. in the county
of Devon, to his nephew, Francis
Drake, son of his elder brother,
Thomas. who is named as the execu-
tor OF the will.
This is sufficient in itself to dispose
of the claim of the Drake Estates As
ISOLATION in the United States and to
prove that under no circumstances
could Its members be regarded as de-
scendants of the great admiral. The
latter's nephew and heir, Francis
Drake, was created a baronet by
lanes I, and the baronetcy, along
with the Buckland Abbey estates,
passed down either from father to
son or from uncle to nephew until the
end of the eighteenth century: when
the baronetcy became extinct through
the death, without issue, in 1894 of
Sir Francis Henry Drake, fifth bar
onet.
comprising Buckland Abbey, went to
his newphew, the second and last
Lord Heathfeld of Gibraltar. Lord