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Drayton - Name

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This interesting locational name is derived from the Olde English word 'droeg', which is related to the verb 'dragan', to drag or to draw. 'Ton' means 'farm'. Consequently, Drayton meant 'farm by a track along which heavy goods were dragged'. There are at least sixteen parishes of this name set down in Crockford; in dioceses of Bath, Oxford etc. An interesting namebearer was Michael Drayton (1563 - 1631), a poet who published the famous 'Ballad of Agincourt' (1607), and finished 'Poly-Olbion' a long topography of England (1622). He was a friend of Shakespeare. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Maltilda de Drayton. which was dated 1273 - The Hundred Rolls. during the reign of King Edward 1, The Hammer of the Scots 1272 - 1307 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.