Why is the Drake name a red flag on William FitzHarold Drake?

Question

Andrew Lancaster, in the comments on the profile for Harold de Sudeley, says that the name Drake is a red flag for William FitzHarold Drake. Harold de Sudeley had 5 sons, only the first four are listed in a charter for Robert de Ewyas de Sudeley. I assume that William was the son of an unknown second wife or mistress, who may have been named Drake. The sons of Harold did not all take the name "Sudeley"--presumably because Harold divided his barony among his sons, they took different names to differentiate their records and branches... which could have been merely logistical rather than feudal.

Comments

Could you please add the link to the profile you are discussing in the profile box? You can edit your question and add it to the designated box below the large one.

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Is this the one?

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Drake-2229

1090-1166 - yet the only 'source' is someone with firsthand knowledge...

Answer 1

The following is just a thought as I can't state for certain as to why exactly.

I believe It may/might be a culmination of factors that stem from the fact of this profile is/involves a pre-1500 individual that's unsourced.

It may/might have been a profile created as a result from a GEDCOM import from someone who is not pre-1500 certified who had placed it up for adoption when that individual couldn't do anything because their not pre-1500 certified.

Just an opinion...

That profile does need allot of TLC from a pre-1500 certified member.

~Brian Kerr

Answer 2

We have encountered a number of pre-1500 profiles that were created using the surname "Drake" which resemble real persons who did not use that surname.  There are certainly, people, of course, who really used the surname Drake;  one notable example is Sir Francis Drake who lived in the 1600s.  So far I have found references to real people named Drake as early as the 1300s, but not before.  So I have created a free-space profile entitled "Drake Fabrication" and a category with the same name to group people affected by this.  No such changes are irrevocable;  all they require is good solid reliable evidence that a person with the name existed.  It's all about evidence and documentation.