The History of the Family of
DRURY
In the Counties of Suffolk and Norfolk
From the Conquest
By Arthur Campling, London, 1937
Introduction
The two most prominent knightly families in the county of Suffolk from medieval days onwards were the Wingfields and the Drurys, none of such houses as Waldegrave, Barnardiston, Clopton or Tollemache approaching either in their record of public service. For in that period Drury has a roll of eighteen Knights, five of whom were Sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk, and four Knights of the Shire. Wingfield, seated in East Suffolk, had perhaps the slightly better record, especially in Parliamentary representation.
From Sir Nicholas Drury, knighted by Richard II, to that day in 1603 when in the Royal Garden at Whitehall no fewer than four of the name received the accolade from King James; their kin had been typical (and from even earlier times) of all that was best in their division of the country, loyal and capable, they were active in the service of the Crown and prominent among the knightly families of the realm.
Thomas Drury, 4th son of Sir Robert Drury of Rougham, with his access to the family muniments in Elizabeth's reign was instrumental in recording the pedigree of his house for eleven generations, and now, more than three centuries later, the lineal representative, descending in the ninth degree from Sir Robert, has been enabled by a scrutiny of evidences public and private, inaccessible to Thomas Drury, to bring down the pedigree to our day and to prove the line back in the male line to the period of the Norman Conquest. Tradition, so often the only asset of a claim for such a descent, has for once been justified, the documentation of the Drurys over eight centuries of time being fortunately unusually full and conclusive for historical proof. The long and close connection of the family with the powerful Abbey of St, Edmund's in Bury, apparent at every step in the pedigree, much assists in the construction of the account set forth in these pages.
For the early history many hitherto unexplored sources of information have been called in aid; first in importance being the invaluable registers and accounts of the officials of the Abbey of St. Edmund's which are now in the Cambridge University Library and the Department of Manuscripts, British Museum. The original Charters of the Abbots of Bury now preserved in the Bodleian Library have thrown much light on the earlier generations, and from the 12th to the 14th Century records such as those of the Great Roll of the Exchequer, the Plea and Assize Rolls and the Feet of Fines for Suffolk, together with Chancery enrolments and State Papers, have been laid under contribution for the Tudor and Stuart periods.
Acknowledgement is made to Miss Lilian J. Redstone, M.B.E. for her contributions and for the elucidation of the part taken by the Drurys in affairs both foreign and domestic of these times.
CHAPTER 1.
Drury of Horningsheath and St. Edmund’s Bury
"The Genealogie, pedigree, and descent of the ancient family of Drury.
This right worshipful, and most plentiful family of the Drurys descended from a gentelman of that name who (as in the roll of Bataile Abby in Sussex appeareth) came from Normandy with King William the Conqueror 1066 in which Duckdome of Normandie anno 15 there was a place and (family) of the surname remaining. The offspring and issue of this Norman gentelman have multiplied, greatlie encreased, and prosperouslie continued untill this tyme 1602 beinge divided and spread by sondrie braunches into severale braunches, and setteled howses of good estimation in sondry counties of this realme. Parte of which are particularlie hereunder delineated with their matches and issues expressed, and armes depicted, together with certain colateralls and heritable howses with which they have joyned. In which the travaills and endeavours of Thomas Drury (of the Inner Temple, Gent), fourth sonne of Robert Drury of Rougham in the county of Suffolk, Esquire, hath been very great, as well in searching of sundrie evidences, notes, and monuments, (approvinge the true descent of the families) as by being the occasion to have this pedegree reduced into the form and method following; as appertaining (in first place), to his said father, the eldest house of all the familie-linilly descended from Katheryne Swinford, daughter of Katheryn Lady Swinford, (third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster) and of Sir Thomas Swinford, knt. her first husband. This familye hath continued many years in very good reputation; replenished with Knights and Squires, and greatlie honoured with souldiers of notable fame and memory."
This great pedigree of Drury compiled by Thomas Drury, a cadet of the senior line in the time of James I, sets out seventeen generations deriving from "Drury, a Norman gentelman came with Kinge William the Conqueror as in Bataill Abby roll aperes". That this statement has more truth in it than many such based on the Roll of Battle Abbey these papers should prove, if only by the records of the Abbey of St. Edmund’s in Suffolk, of whom the Drurys held their lands in Thurston and elsewhere in the county for some centuries. Six generations of the family are epitomized in the pedigree recorded by John Raven, Richmond Herald, at his Visitation of Suffolk in 1612, beginning with Sir Roger Drury of Rougham, knight, grandson of Henry Drury of Thurston, holder of many acres there and in the adjoining parishes.
And here it may be remarked that the eight centuries and more since the conquest have seen the extinction in the male line of all but a fragment of those named and unnamed in the great survey as of the military host of early Norman times. The proof of such male descent has rightly been held to be a genealogical feat, tradition being ignored and recorded history alone relied on.
The fact that the generality of family histories rely on tradition or undocumented statements for so much of their earlier story, throws into relief a pedigree which is taken back step by step by legal testimony to the period of the partition or allocation of the lands of the Saxons after the Conquest. So rare is it that the male line is clear that even in the peerage and baronetage where one would look for an unbroken succession from father to son hardly a score could substantiate such a claim.
More than half the counties of England are unrepresented by such a descent; and it is only the fortune that the Drurys of Suffolk had so close a connection with the Monastery of St. Edmund Bury – all powerful in West Suffolk – that enabled them to deduce their descent without break through so long a period of time. This connection with the Abbey, through the de Veres, earls of Oxford, is summarized in the following pages, illustrating the history of the descendants or Drieu of St. Edmund’s Bury in the county of Suffolk, born about 1080, from whom derive twenty five generations in direct male line to the present day.
Concerning DRIEU are entries in Domesday Book; fol. 380 records – that Drieu held of William, bishop of Thetford in Oakley in Hartismere hundred 114 acres and half a carucate of land which was held in the time of King Edward by Algar, a freeman under the protection of St. Edmund’s. (Later it will be seen that in 1300 John de Beauchamp held half a knights fee in Oakley and a quarter fee in Thurston, William de Pakenham holding under him in Thurston and John fil. John, also called John Drury, under the said William).
Fol. 276b records that Drieu, a man of Robert Malet, had seized 10 acres of the demesne land of St. Edmund’s in Gissing in the county of Norfolk. Fol. 211 records that Gissing and Shimpling were held as manors by St. Edmund’s, and it is worthy of note that court rolls of the manor of Shimpling now in the possession of F. S. E. Drury show that the Drurys there died out in 1349, the year of the Black Death, in the person of Cecily Druri, daughter and heiress of John Druri, who held his land there by knight service.
Drieu, the tenant of 1086, may be identical with Drieu of St. Edmund’s Bury above named, but chronologically is more likely to belong one generation earlier.
To follow the history from Domesday through the succession of the Knights’ fees of St. Edmund it is to be observed that Alberic de Vere, first Earl of Oxford, was returned in 1166 as holding 5-1/2 Knight’s fees of St. Edmund of the old enfeoffment, viz., as at the death of Henry I in 1135, two of which were in Great Livermere. One of these two was held in 1186 by HUMPHREY fil. DRIEU and the other by Matthew de Thelnetham. Their respective descendants had a dispute tried at the Suffolk Assizes for 1257 as to whom belonged the right of presentation to the church, and the jury found for Robert de Livermere; and thereupon Matthew de Thelnetham paid 50 shillings to exercise patronage.
DRIEU, father of Humphrey, had a fee in Horsecroft in Horningsheath, Robert fil. Walter having also half a fee there; sharing with Drieu the descent from the brother of Peter (who held the one carucate in Hornigsheath of St. Edmund at the time of the Domesday survey), through the said Walter, called nephew of Peter. Walter also held 1-1/2 carucates in Livermere Parva.
Peter was styled brother of Burchard, who held Bardwell at Domesday and who was ancestor of the knightly family of that name, whose effigies and arms are still in glass in the church of Bardwell. Peter and Burchard both had houses in Norwich, as men of St. Edmund.
The devolution of the two knight’s fees in Great Livermere held of St. Edmund’s by the de Vere earls of Oxford is of interest as affording a probably origin of the two pierced mullets on the Drury shield. Following the custom in the early days of heraldry of a sub-tenant making an allusion in his arms to those of his over-lord; the mullet in the first quarter of de Vere is found duplicated by Drury.
At Hawstead, where the second house of the Drury’s was so long settled, are to be found over the porch of the church three shields, in the middle the arms of de Vere, and on either side those of Drury.
To revert to Drieu whose land next Horsecroft in the parish of Horningsheath was called by Salamon of Rochester ’the fee of Drieu,’ which fee lay immediately west of Bury and extended into Westley; there are on record three of his sons, I. Humphrey fil. Drieu, 2. Sir Richard fil. Drieu and 3. Drieu fil. Drieu.
Of these three little is known of DRIEU the youngest. He appears, 1199, as attorney for his brother Richard in a suit against William de Mendham as to the fee in Livermere.
HUMPHREY, the eldest, who died without issue, was among those knights of St. Edmund’s who witnessed several charters of Abbot Hugh of St. Edmund’s (1157-80) of lands in Hengrave Westley and Fornham, as Humphrey fil. Drieu and Richard his brother. Some of these Charters are among the MSS. of the Bodleian Library. He was living after the death of Abbot Hugh, as he is one of the witnesses to a grant of Abbot Sampson after 1182 as to land in Dickleburgh. Humphrey is found to hold one knight’s fee in Livermere of the Abbot; (this was later held by Humphrey’s great-nephew Robert, of Hugh de Vere, earl of Oxford); and he is shown as having the church of Livermere in his gift, and 30 acres land in Horningsheath. It is noteworthy too that the same Humphrey fil. Drieu had then a small holding of 15 acres in Grisestoft in Rougham. He was succeeded by his brother Richard.
Sir. RICHARD fil. DRIEU, (second son), of St. Edmund, who also witnessed Abbott Hugh’s grants as above; and grants in Coney Weston, Hopton and Barton; held in 1186 in Westley
and Fornham St. Martin, which land in Fornham was held by him as by a time dated 25 November 1198. He was concerned in pleadings before the Curia Regis from 1199 to 1203, final agreement being made by fine 25 April 1204, this being in regard to the Knight’s fee and advowson of the church of Livermere, in which he was represented by Humphrey his son. In 1203 he was concerned in a plea of dower by Matilda widow of his son Robert.
Richard was a benefactor to Castleacre Priory in Norfolk; and a witness there 1200-20 with Humphrey and Robert his sons. His grant is as follows: --
"Know all present and future that I Richard son of Drieu of Saint Edmund give and grant by this my present charter confirm to the Church of St. Mary of Acre and the monks of the same there serving ten shillings of annual rent for ever to receive by my hands during my life and after my decease by the hands of my heirs whomsoever they be namely five shillings at Easter and five at Michaelmas and to do this I have assigned to the said monks the rent of Robert de Horscroft my man, that is to say five shillings, of the rent of Walter Pulein my man four shillings, of the rent of Godrick de Horscroft my man twelve pence so that the aforesaid monks will have and hold the aforesaid rents in free pure and perpetual alms and to assist the said monks to hold warrant them against all men for me and all my heirs And this gift and grant I make to the aforesaid monks for the health of my soul and of my wife and all my heirs. To this witness Luke, merchant of St. Edmund’s and Fulk his brother, Humphrey son of Richard son of Drieu and Drieu and Robert his brothers, Raimond, John the vintner, Master Richer, Gilbert servant of the prior, Alexander the Chamberlain, Geoffrey de Swath, Godfrey the steward, William de Dunham, Richard the porter, Roger Pincernor, Robert Marsh, Walter and Alexander the cook and many others".
A grant of Richard of land in Horningsheath is as follows: --
Bury, Westgate street. – Charter of Richard fil. Drieu made to Nicholas de Denham of XV acres land by the service of two shillings.
Know all present and future to whom this indenture may come that I Richard fil. Drieu of St. Edmund give grant and by this present indenture confirm to Nicholas the clerk of Denham for his services and good fidelity and for five marks silver which he gave me in reward XV acres of arable land outside the west gate of which five and a half acres lay beyond opposite the Monelond at Hornynggesherth and two acres border on the lane leading to the hall of Hornynggsherth and 1-1/2 acres is the land of Silvester which he accepted with his wife Clarice, bordering on the high way of Hornynggsherth, and three acres bordering on the brook opposite to Hgechtecrosse and 3 acres which border on the high way of Hgechtecrosse adjoining the same, between two acres of Humphrey son of Sir Guy to hold to the said Nicholas of me and my heirs all his life freely and quietly by the service of two shillings annually for all services customs and exxations rendering at two terms viz. at Easter xiid. and at the feast of St. Michael xiid. and my heirs warrant all the aforesaid lands to the aforesaid Nicholas for all his life by the aforesaid service and after the life of aforesaid Nicholas to remain to me and my heirs freely and quietly. Know that if the aforesaid Nicholas survives me, the said Nicholas is to do the same service to Humphrey my eldest son and after the life of said Nicholas all the above named land is to revert and remain in the
names of Humphrey my son. This grant by us and our hand is to be faithfully honoured. Witness: -- Benedict & Vital, chaplains. Luke the merchant and Fulk his brother. Humphrey and Drieu sons of Richard &c.
HUMPHREY was the son and heir of Richard fil. Drieu, and was attorney for his father in the Fine, 1204, of one knight’s fee in Livermere and a tenement in Bury St. Edmund’s. He or one of his brothers not specified was concerned in a romantic story, by Jocelin de Brokeland (the Chronicler of St. Edmund’s about the time of Richard I), not entirely to his credit one would judge, the narrative running thus:--
Humphrey confirmed to Castleacre Priory the gift of Richard fil. Drieu of St. Edmund’s his father; and he and his brothers were concerned in a plea before the King’s Court in 1208 as follows:--Norfolk. From Walter fil. Geoffrey twenty shillings for a disseisin which he made to Humphrey fil. Richard and his brothers by pledge of Humphrey fil. Richard fil. Drieu and Walter fil. Richard. This assize was summoned before Robert fil. Roger and Richard de Seething.
A deed in the Bodleian Library granting land in St. Edmund’s and in Rickinghall in Suffolk is witnessed by no less than five of the sons of Richard fil. Drieu, viz., "Humphrey and Walter and Robert and Geoffrey and William sons of Richard fil. Drieu." Another deed in the Bodleian by which Richard fil. Anchitil of St. Edmund quitclaims land in the fields towards Fornham is witnessed by "Humphrey and Robert sons of Sir Richard." A third deed there refers to land in St. Edmund’s extending to the court of Humphrey fil. Richard fil. Drieu. These deeds are of the time of Richard I. Humphrey’s wife was that Matilda, party to a fine 1235, in which their son, called Robert de Livermere, quitclaimed one third of a knight’s fee in Livermere as dower of Matilda mother of Robert.
Walter fil. Richard fil. Drieu of St. Edmund (the second son of Richard) granted to Peter fil. John his land with the building thereon fronted with four windows in the French quarter of St. Edmund’s, lying between his rents and the rent which was Batholomew fil. Norman. To this was witness William de Cretingham, steward, Richard de Gosfield, constable, Humphrey fil. Richard and Robert Geoffrey and William his brothers, sons of Richard, Gilbert de Stagno, sheriff etc. etc. Also he witnessed a grant of Abbot Hugh II. 1214-20.
Walter fil. Richard had land in Fornham St. Martin named in a charter of Abbot Hugh II, and with his brother Robert witnessed a grant of land in Westley. He is named on an enquiry as to an agreement between the brethren of the Hospital of St. Peter and others as to land in the fields of St. Edmund lying next to land which belonged to Humphrey fil. Richard; and with his brother Geoffrey witnessed a grant to the Hospital of St. Saviours in St. Edmund’s of land in Fornham 1200-1220.
He was party to a fine in Shimpling co. Norfolk 21 Sep. 1219 and Nicholas fil. Richard fil. Walter de Thurston had a grant of land in Tostock, co. Suffolk in the time of Henry III.
Humphrey fil. Richard had a daughter Alice, which was a name recurrent in the family, who married Henry de Nekton – the marriage settlement being a fine in 1222 (in 1244 she was party with her husband to a fine in Fornham and Ingham). He had also two sons. The younger, Richard, was party in 1222 to the above settlement on his sister of a Knight’s fee in Livermere and lands in Horningsheath and Ickworth, a messuage in Bury and a rent in Horsecroft.
Robert, the elder son of Humphrey fil. Richard fil. Drieu, was known as ROBERT DE LIVERMERE from the fact of succeeding to the knight’s fee in Livermere. As has been noted in 1234 he was party to a fine as to his mother’s dower in Livermere; and his charter in the Bodleian Library, which must have been passed 1238-1242, concerns his land in Fornham. It runs as follows:--
Thomas de Haya, who died 1245, was found to hold 94 acres in Livermere of Robert; and Robert de Livermere was found in 1259 to hold a knight’s fee there of Hugh de Vere, earl of Oxford; and his son held of the succeeding earl in 1286 400 acres and a windmill there, Nigel de Livermere holding under Robert a messuage and six acres of land. It is not unlikely that this Nigel was identical with Nigel Druri, after elected Sheriff of London, 28 Sep. 1307, of whom later.
In the Cellarer’s accounts of St. Edmund’s Abbey concerning lands in the fields outside the west gate of Bury it is recorded that Robert de Lyvermere paid rent for land next Horscrofte of the fee of Drieu, and for a meadow called Holkewell. Robert occurs as party to a Fine in Horningsheath 1234, as to which Richard de Ixworth put in a claim.
