The parish was referred to as Draicote (Medieval Latin) in the ancient Domesday hundred of Startley when Geoffrey de Venoix ("the Marshal")[1] was lord and tenant-in-chief in 1086.

[2] The morpheme dray is common in England's place names, yet unused elsewhere in the English language, so is considered an ancient Celtic word.

[9] The benefice was united with Seagry in 1939[10] but in 1954 the union was dissolved,[11] and for church purposes the village is now within the parish of Kington Langley.

In 1773–75 Sir James Tylney-Long (1736-1794) added a new south front, and east and west wings around the core of the medieval manor.

Other members: The Draycot Estate covered 4,300 acres (17 km2) at its most, covering as landlord (with some principal demesne, i.e. private parkland) all but a small minority of land (remaining commons, rectories, vicarages and glebelands) of Draycot Cerne, Kellaways, Sutton Benger and Seagry, parts of Startley, Little Somerford, Christian Malford and Kington Langley.