Drake, Elizabeth (fl. 1625–1656)

English royalist. Name variations: Elizabeth Churchill. Flourished between 1625 and 1656; daughter of Lady Eleanor Drake (a staunch Parliamentarian and daughter of Elizabeth Villiers ) and Sir John Drake; married Winston Churchill (a West Country lawyer); children: Arabella Churchill (1648–1714); John Churchill (1650–1722), 1st duke of Marlborough (a British statesman and general); Charles Churchill (1656–1714).

During the English Civil War (1642–51), Winston Churchill, a West Country lawyer, took up arms in defense of crown and his Anglican church. His fortunes fell along with those he championed. Facing destitution, the Royalist cavalry captain and his wife Elizabeth Drake took refuge with her mother, the staunch Parliamentarian Lady Eleanor Drake . On May 26, 1650, while living under Lady Drake's roof, Asche House in Devonshire, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, John, the future 1st duke of Marlborough.

The Churchills entertained few prospects. Elizabeth Drake's family had enjoyed a measure of social prestige. The century before, it had produced the great Elizabethan admiral, Sir Francis Drake. Through marriage, the Drakes were related to the Villiers. George Villiers, the duke of Buckingham, had been the intimate friend of both James I and Charles I.

The Stuart Restoration in 1660 produced an immediate improvement in the fortunes of Elizabeth and her husband. Elected a member of parliament for Weymouth, Winston Churchill took his seat in the Convention Parliament in 1661. Making a mark for himself, he quickly earned an entrée to Charles II's court and substantial royal preferments. In 1662, Winston became commissioner for Irish Land Claims and the following year obtained a knighthood and a posting in London. The exploits of Elizabeth and Winston's children—Arabella Churchill and John Churchill—would be well-documented.

sources:

Chandler, David. Marlborough as Military Commander. London, 1972.

Churchill, Winston. Marlborough: His Life and Times. 6 vols. London, 1933–38.

suggested reading:

Barnett, Correlli. The First Churchill: Marlborough, Soldier and Statesman. New York, 1974.