Edward Drax Free
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Edward Drax Free, D.D. (1764 - 1843) was a very badly behaved cleric in Sutton, Bedfordshire who was removed from his living at the parish in 1830. Free was the youngest son of a clergyman and earned his B.A., M.A., B.D. and D.D. before being appointed a fellow of his college.
It is alleged that he stole the lead off his own church roof to sell for scrap. He also impregnated several of his housekeepers, allowed swine to desecrate the graveyard, and had been publickly abusive, both sober and drunk.
His downfall came when he had attempted to get the local lord (Burgoyne) fined for non-attendance at church using a law passed during the reign of Elizabeth I of England.
Prior to his appointment, he had lived a very bad life, and was on the verge of being expelled from St. Johns College, Oxford University, before he became the rector of Sutton in 1808.
In 1843 a cart hit him in a road accident.
