SURFERS may soon be in for a surprise when they come across Tavistock?s most famous seafaring son ? more than 400 years after his death.

Sir Francis Drake won?t be circumnavigating the world this time around but he is making waves on the internet.

His last will and testament has been published as part of DocumentsOnline ? an internet database created by the National Archives group.

Drake is famous for playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe when the Spanish Armada was approaching ? and for overseeing its defeat ? in 1588.

His will was written just before his death near Panama and is dated May 17 1596.

He died as he lived, on board ship, and the will is comprised more of legal stipulations than personal effects.

Many of Drake?s possessions, including the most famous example of Devon timpani ? Drake?s Drum, can be seen at his ancestral home Buckland Abbey.

DocumentsOnline features the final requests of many famous figures including William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Sir Christopher Wren.

Tony Robinson, who played Baldrick in Blackadder and presents TV?s archaeological show Timeteam, launched the website last Wednesday.

He said: ?This is a fantastic resource that can bring history so much closer to us.

?I?ve no doubt it will turn into a cult website ? we can now all be historical researchers in the comfort of our own homes.?

However, It is not only well-known personalities who now have their wills on the web ? the last wishes of more than one million people are contained in the DocumentsOnline database.

Digitally recorded probate copies of wills from men and women from all walks of life and spanning almost six centuries can be viewed at http://www.documentsonline.pro.gov.uk">www.documentsonline.pro.gov.uk.

Mark Pearsall, family history specialist at the National Archives, said: ?Wills are one of the most important resources for family and local history research: a will may provide names of spouses, sons, daughters and grandchildren, help to clarify family relationships or indicate the place of burial.?

The wills themselves are available on microfilm at the Family Records Centre and in the National Archives at Kew.

DocumentsOnline also contains all government papers which have been released up to January this year.