Francis Drake and Mary Newman black plaque

This black commemorative plaque records: St Budeaux Church constructed in 1563 and containing relics from the previous chapel built before 1066. In 1569 Sir Francis Drake here married Mary Newman. The site of two battles during the Civil War when the church was almost destroyed. Restored in 1653

Sir Francis Drake, a renowned Elizabethan sea captain and explorer, circumnavigated the globe and played a crucial role in defeating the Spanish Armada; Mary Newman was his third wife, though details of her life are less recorded, their marriage took place at St Budeaux Church in 1569.