Drayton Parslow - Manor

Manor

In the 11th century the toponym was Draintone or Draitone. This is derived from Old English and means "farm where sledges are used". It is a common English toponym, for places that were on a hillside, thus needing a sledge rather than a cart to pull heavy loads. By the 13th century it had become Draitone Passele, referring to the Passelewe family who tenanted the manor of Drayton since the latter part of the 11th century. It evolved through Draygtone Passelewe in the 14th century and Draighton Perselow in the 17th century before reaching its current form.

In the reign of Edward the Confessor in the 11th century one Lewin de Nuneham held a manor of two hides and one virgate at Drayton. After the Norman conquest of England Lewin was displaced as feudal overlord by the Norman Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances. De Montbray tried unsuccessfully to displace the Passelewes as his tenants, and the family retained Drayton until 1379 when it passed by marriage to the Purcell family. In 1461 it was conveyed to a descendant of the Passelewes, William Laycon, in whose family it then remained until at least 1570.