Cousin to Sir Francis Drake?

[IJDisney]

In Sir Francis Drake's Will of 1595 he wrote near the end;

"And, finallie, I have appointed my trustie and welbeloved frendes and cosens, Master Richard Drake esquier, one of th’esquires of her majesties stable, and Thomas Barret, archdiacon, to be rulers and overseers of this my last will and testament, and allsoe to be aideinge and assistinge to my saide executors, and the survivors and survivor of them, touchinge the better accomplishement of the same; and I give to each of them for their paines herein to be taken the somme of of lawfull monie of England."

Thamas Barrett was Archdeacon of Exeter and one of my ancestors. Does the wording of the will indicate a close kin, or is it a general term for someone who is a close friend?

[goldie61]

There have been several posts in the past on here regarding the term 'cousin'.

It was a loosely applied term - certainly back in 1595.
I don't think you can assume the Archdeacon was a cousin of Francis Drake's as we would now know it.
Interesting he is chosen to be an overseer though - it does suggest he knew him fairly well.

[IJDisney]

There have been several posts in the past on here regarding the term 'cousin'.

It was a loosely applied term - certainly back in 1595.
I don't think you can assume the Archdeacon was a cousin of Francis Drake's as we would now know it.
Interesting he is chosen to be an overseer though - it does suggest he knew him fairly well.

Thanks.
If not a cousin "as we would now know it", then how was the term viewed in the time of this will?
If it has been discussed in previous posts, could you please point me to the relevant threads so I can read them?

[KGarrad]

Here is a reference to the term "cousin" in Shakespeare's time and works:
http://www.shakespeareswords.com/cousin

[goldie61]

From https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/09/kissing-cousins.html

There’s yet another use of “cousin” that has nothing to do with families. As the OED says, “cousin” is sometimes used “as a term of intimacy, friendship, or familiarity.”

[IJDisney]

Thanks for those answers.

It seems that many of the definitions are colloquialisms, but I'm dealing with an official document, that would require a clear definition of who someone was. Sure, it might have meant friend, but the will calls them trusted and well beloved friends and cousins. So I think they were close friends and close relatives, if not actual children of an aunt/uncle. I've found that Francis Drake did have a relative called Robert Barrett killed by the Spanish in 1568 (some say he was a son of Robert Barrett and Ann Drake, the aunt of Francis - but the sources are not specific). So maybe my Thomas Barrett was related after all.

[groom]

some say he was a son of Robert Barrett and Ann Drake, the aunt of Francis

According to a WikiTree, Francis Drake's father was Edmund Drake, Vicar of Upchurch. Protestant farmer later to turn preacher. The siblings of Edmund were William Drake, John Drake VI, Joan (Drake) Raleigh, Johanna Alice Drake, Gilbert Drake and Robert Drake. No mention of an Ann Drake.

You need to find a tree for Francis and work out where Robert Barrett fitted in and see if there is a Thomas in the family.

[IJDisney]

some say he was a son of Robert Barrett and Ann Drake, the aunt of Francis

According to a WikiTree, Francis Drake's father was Edmund Drake, Vicar of Upchurch. Protestant farmer later to turn preacher. The siblings of Edmund were William Drake, John Drake VI, Joan (Drake) Raleigh, Johanna Alice Drake, Gilbert Drake and Robert Drake. No mention of an Ann Drake.

You need to find a tree for Francis and work out where Robert Barrett fitted in and see if there is a Thomas in the family.

My source is the "The family and heirs of Sir Francis Drake" by Lady Elliott-Drake (pub 1911). In it she has John Drake (the son of Francis Drake's uncle John) who reports his family tree to the Spanish inquisition in 1587, and mentions that he has three aunts, the sisters of his father, one of whom is called Anna. The book has a footnote here that claims that this was probably the mother of Robert Barrett, who was burnt at the stake in 1568. I don't know what the sources were for this supposition.

Perhaps your source has Johanna Alice Drake, when it should be (Joh)Anna Drake and Alice Drake. Middle names were extremely rare in those days.

When Francis Drake defeated the Armada in 1585, a service was held at St.Paul's Cross and the cathedral decorated with the flags and banners captured from the Spanish. Francis allowed the cathedral to keep these banners, supposedly through Thomas Barrett's request because Barrett's father-in-law was the nephew of Alexander Nowell, the Dean of the Cathedral.

[KGarrad]

Here is a reference to the term "cousin" in Shakespeare's time and works:
http://www.shakespeareswords.com/cousin

Did you read the link I posted?

Shakespeare and Francis Drake's lives overlapped; so the words, and meanings, Shakespeare used would be similar to those of Drake.