Frank Freke
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Francis Freke, called Frank, of Thorncombe in Devon, is recorded as having paid twelve pounds by way of loan to the Queen in 1558, which is the sort of transaction that tells you both a family's standing and its politics. He was head of the Freke line of Shroton, and his sons were Robert of Iwerne Courtney, Teller of the Exchequer, and John of Faringdon.
Research notes
DOCUMENTED (upgraded from tradition June 2026). Francis ("Frank") Freke of Thorncombe, co. Devon; "paid 12l. by way of loan to the Queen, 1558." Head of the Freke of Shroton line; his sons were Robert Freke of Ewerne Courtney (our line; Teller of the Exchequer, d.1592) and John Freke of Faringdon (d.1587). Source: John Hutchins, History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (1861-73), Pedigree of Freke of Shroton (from the Heralds' Visitations of Dorset 1623, Harl. 1166 f.29 (signed Ro. Freake) & 1141 f.116, and the Shroton/Hinton St Mary parish registers). NB: the chart says "of Crewkerne, Somerset"; Hutchins gives Thorncombe, Devon (the family also held Crewkerne and Cerne Abbas). PARENT-HINTS REJECTED (June 2026): Ancestry offered Frank a 'father' (Freke esq., vicar of Crewkerne, 1500-1567) and a 'mother' (Lady Frances Elizabeth Freke, 1470-1582). BOTH rejected. The 'mother' has an impossible 112-year lifespan and conflates two women - Frances Freake (wife of a Francis Freke) and Marie Baker (who m. a Franke Freeke at Crewkerne, 1564). The 'father' shares Frank's own birth year (1500) and is in fact a near-duplicate of Frank himself: a Find a Grave 'Franck Freke', d. 17 Jun 1567, buried St Bartholomew, Crewkerne, children incl. Robert - circularly offered as his own parent. Per Hutchins, Frank is the documented HEAD of the line; the tree stops honestly at him. POSSIBLE DEATH (uncertain): that same Find a Grave record may be Frank HIMSELF (Thorncombe and Crewkerne are ~7 miles apart), giving a death of 17 Jun 1567, buried Crewkerne; treated as ~ uncertain, since Find a Grave for 1567 is tree-derived, not a surviving stone, and its children list (Francis/William/Robert/Joan Bragge) differs from Hutchins's (Robert + John of Faringdon). [DIRECT ANCESTOR OF THE COMPILER: flag added 24 Jul 2026 by walking the tree from Aynsley, so that this marker is reliable and can be searched.]
Birth: fl. 1558.