▁ ▁Haw ks mo or ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Not ting ham shire ▁in ▁ 1 6 6 1 , ▁into ▁a ▁ye oman ▁far ming ▁family , ▁almost ▁certainly ▁in ▁East ▁D ray ton ▁or ▁R agn all , ▁Not ting ham shire . ▁On ▁his ▁death ▁he ▁was ▁to ▁leave ▁property ▁at ▁nearby ▁R agn all , ▁Dun ham ▁and ▁a ▁house ▁and ▁land ▁at ▁Great ▁D ray ton . ▁It ▁is ▁not ▁known ▁where ▁he ▁received ▁his ▁school ing , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁probably ▁in ▁more ▁than ▁basic ▁liter acy . ▁George ▁Vert ue , ▁whose ▁family ▁had ▁property ▁in ▁Haw ks mo or ' s ▁part ▁of ▁Not ting ham shire , ▁wrote ▁in ▁ 1 7 3 1 ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁taken ▁as ▁a ▁youth ▁to ▁act ▁as ▁cl erk ▁by ▁" Just ice ▁M ell ust ▁in ▁York shire , ▁where ▁Mr ▁G ou ge ▁senior ▁did ▁some ▁f ret work ▁ce il ings ▁afterwards ▁Mr . ▁H au kes more ▁ ▁came ▁to ▁London , ▁became ▁cl erk ▁to ▁Sr . ▁Christopher ▁W ren ▁& ▁th ence ▁became ▁an ▁Arch itect ". ▁ ▁W ren , ▁hearing ▁of ▁his ▁" ear ly ▁skill ▁and ▁genius " ▁for ▁architecture , ▁took ▁him ▁on ▁as ▁his ▁cl erk ▁at ▁about ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 8 . ▁A ▁surv iving ▁early ▁sketch - book ▁contains ▁sketch es ▁and ▁notes , ▁some ▁dated ▁ 1 6 8 0 ▁and ▁ 1 6 8 3 , ▁of ▁buildings ▁in ▁Not ting