The Drewe family of Broadhembury

The Drewe family of Broadhembury is an English landed and legal family whose documented history is centered on Broadhembury and The Grange, a former estate associated with the family in Devon. The family’s recorded connection with the area begins with Edward Drew (c. 1542–1598), a Serjeant-at-Law to Queen Elizabeth I who acquired the manor of Broadhembury, including lands and buildings formerly belonging to Dunkeswell Abbey. Edward also had a substantial house built at Killerton in the parish of Broadclyst and held prominent public offices, including Recorder of the City of London and membership of Parliament for Lyme Regis, Exeter and the City of London. Edward’s son, Sir Thomas Drew, sold Killerton and moved the principal family residence to Broadhembury. By the early seventeenth century he had established The Grange as the family seat. The estate remained connected with successive generations of the family for centuries, although ownership passed through several branches and collateral heirs. The Drewe family also held or inherited interests in properties including Sharpham, Kitton, Leyhill in Payhembury, Molland Champson and Wootton House in Dorset. Sharpham had been sold before 1640, while other properties entered the family through marriage or inheritance. The family’s history combines landed estate management with legal, parliamentary, military, ecclesiastical and civic service. Members served as sheriffs of Devon and Dorset, Members of Parliament, magistrates, deputy lieutenants, lawyers, a cathedral canon, a rector, a Governor of the Bank of England and army officers. Francis Drewe represented the City of Exeter in four successive Parliaments between 1713 and 1734. His son Francis Drewe served as Sheriff of Devon in 1738, and later descendants continued to hold local offices. Samuel Drewe, a younger son of Francis Drewe, served as Governor of the Bank of England from 1828 to 1830. The family’s estates often passed through complicated succession arrangements because several male heirs died without surviving sons. The Grange moved between brothers, half-nephews and female-line connections. Edward Simcoe Drewe, descended through the line of the Reverend Edward Drewe, eventually inherited the principal estates. He was a Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant of Devon and High Sheriff of Devon in 1845. His son, Major-General Francis Edward Drewe, was an army officer, a Justice of the Peace, a Knight of the Legion of Honour and commanding lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Devon Militia from 1856 to 1858. The family is also associated with a notable collection of portraits, monuments and records. A portrait of Elizabeth I attributed to George Gower was kept at The Grange from the time of Sir Thomas Drew until 1903. Portraits and memorials relating to members of the family survive in churches and historic houses, including Broadclyst Church, Broadhembury Church, Wootton Fitzpaine Church and Dunster Castle. The Grange itself was depicted in an early nineteenth-century travel journal and in an engraved survey of country seats published in 1826. The family should be understood as a historical genealogy and landed-estate subject rather than a commercial consumer brand. The associated estates and family history remain the central subject, and the reference material identifies Major-General Sir Michael Gordon Thomas Drew as the current owner of all the estates named in the article.

The family’s documented history begins with Edward Drew, born around 1542, of Killerton in Broadclyst, Devon. A successful lawyer serving as a Serjeant-at-Law to Elizabeth I, Edward acquired the manor of Broadhembury and lands formerly connected with Dunkeswell Abbey. His public career included service as Recorder of the City of London and election to Parliament for Lyme Regis, Exeter and the City of London. A large memorial to him survives at Broadclyst Church. His eldest son, Sir Thomas Drew, sold Killerton after inheriting it and relocated the family’s main residence to Broadhembury. He developed The Grange as the principal seat, and the property remained associated with the family through numerous successions. Sir Thomas also acquired Kitton in Holcombe Rogus. The family’s earlier connection with Sharpham ended when that estate was sold before 1640. The seventeenth century saw several changes of inheritance. William Drew died without children, after which his brother Francis held The Grange. Francis’s son Thomas Drew became Sheriff of Devon in 1688–1689 and represented Devon in Parliament from 1699 to 1700. Thomas left no surviving male heir, and the estate passed through his brothers Francis and Edward. Edward, a Canon of Exeter Cathedral, left male descendants, enabling the principal line to continue through his son Francis Drewe. Francis Drewe represented Exeter in four successive Parliaments after elections in 1713, 1715, 1722 and 1727. His son Francis Drewe, born in 1712, served as Sheriff of Devon in 1738. Through his first marriage to Mary Rose, the family acquired connections with Wootton House in Dorset and produced several sons. His second marriage connected the family to London and produced, among others, the Reverend Edward Drewe and Samuel Drewe, who later became Governor of the Bank of England. Several sons inherited The Grange in succession during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Francis Rose Drew acquired Leyhill but died unmarried. Thomas Rose-Drew inherited both the family seat and his maternal Dorset property but also died without descendants. William Drewe was a London lawyer who died unmarried, while John Rose Drewe succeeded to The Grange and likewise left no surviving male children. These deaths caused the estate to pass to the descendants of the Reverend Edward Drewe. Edward Simcoe Drewe inherited the estates and became a prominent Devon landowner and magistrate. His son, Major-General Francis Edward Drewe, continued the family’s public and military profile. He served with the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, commanded the 1st Devon Militia for a period, and held local judicial responsibilities. His death without children in 1891 led to succession by his sister Adèle Caroline Drewe, widow of John Arthur Locke. The family’s cultural record includes portraits, heraldic monuments and depictions of The Grange. A portrait of Elizabeth I attributed to George Gower was preserved at The Grange until 1903. The house was described in detail in John Preston Neale’s 1826 survey of country seats, while Reverend John Swete recorded a visit there in 1800 and produced a watercolour. Memorials to family members remain in local churches. According to the referenced article, the family’s estates, including The Grange and other properties in western and eastern England, are currently owned by Major-General Sir Michael Gordon Thomas Drew.

• 1891

  Death of Major-General Francis Edward Drewe

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Major-General Francis Edward Drewe died without children, leading to another change in the succession of the family estates.

• 1845

  Edward Simcoe Drewe serves as High Sheriff

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Edward Simcoe Drewe served as High Sheriff of Devon and held the offices of Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant.

• 1826

  The Grange appears in a country-seat survey

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  John Preston Neale published an engraving and description of The Grange in a survey of notable seats.

• 1800

  The Grange recorded by John Swete

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Reverend John Swete visited Francis Rose Drew at The Grange and created a watercolour record of the house.

• 1738

  Francis Drewe becomes Sheriff of Devon

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Drewe served as Sheriff of Devon, continuing the family’s local administrative role.

• 1713

  Francis Drewe begins Exeter parliamentary career

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Drewe was elected for the City of Exeter and went on to sit in four successive Parliaments.

• 1699

  Thomas Drew represents Devon

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Drew served as a Tory Member of Parliament for Devon from 1699 until 1700.

• 1612

  Sir Thomas Drew serves as Sheriff of Devon

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Sir Thomas Drew held the office of Sheriff of Devon and subsequently moved the family residence from Killerton to The Grange at Broadhembury.

• 1598

  Death of Edward Drew

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Edward Drew died after acquiring Broadhembury and establishing the family’s principal historical connection with the area.

• 1584

  Edward Drew enters Parliament

  [1]Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org

  Edward Drew represented Lyme Regis in Parliament, beginning a long association between the family and public service.

Historical genealogy and English landed-estate heritage subject, not a commercial brand.

1. 1Drewe family of Broadhemburyen.wikipedia.org