Drewrie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Drewrie was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Drewrie family lived in Suffolk. This family was originally from Rouvray, Normandy, and it is from the local form of this place-name, De Rouvray, which literally translates as from Rouvray. 1

In the language of Chaucer, signifies love or courtship: “Of bataille and of chevalrie, Of ladies love and druerie Anon I wol you tell.”

Early Origins of the Drewrie family

The surname Drewrie was first found in Suffolk where John de Drury, son and heir of a Norman adventurer settled at Thurston. 2

"The founder of the family in England is mentioned in the Battel-Abbey Boll. He settled first at Thurston and subsequently at Rougham, co. Suffolk, and his descendants Continued in possession of that estate for about six hundred years." 3

"John de Drury, son and heir of the Norman adventurer, settled at Thurston, in Suffolk, and bore for arms "arg, on a chief vert, two mullets pierced or." His descendant Nicholas Drury, of Thurston, living temp. Edward II., married Joane, daughter and heir of Sir Simon Saxham, Knt., and by her had Roger, Nicholas, and John, from which three brothers derived the Drurys of Rougham, Saxham, Hawsted, Egerly, Riddlesworth, Besthorp, Everstone, &c. The founder of the Riddlesworth branch, was Sir Drue Drury, Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth, and one of the keepers of Queen Mary of Scotland." 2

"Drury, Drewry, or Drewery, is an ancient Lincolnshire name. As Drury, and occasionally as Drewery and Druery, it was established in this county and in the adjacent counties of York and Cambridge in the 13th century." 4

Early History of the Drewrie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drewrie research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1527, 1531, 1536, 1567, 1579, 1587, 1589, 1607, 1614, 1617, 1623, 1624, 1627, 1641 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Drewrie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drewrie Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Drury, Drewery, Drewry, Drurie, Drewrie and others.

Early Notables of the Drewrie family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Dru or Druie, Drury (1531?-1617), an English courtier, the fifth but third surviving son of Sir Robert Drury, knt., of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshire. 5 Sir Robret Drury (d. 1536), was Speaker of the House of Commons, eldest son of Roger Drury, Lord of the Manor of Hawsted, Suffolk. Robert Drury (1567-1607), was a Catholic divine, born of a gentleman's family in Buckinghamshire in 1567. Sir William Drury (1527-1579), was Marshal of Berwick and Lord Justice to...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Drewrie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Drewrie family to Ireland

Some of the Drewrie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drewrie migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Drewrie or a variant listed above:

Drewrie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Drewrie, aged 19, British settler from Sussex who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 6
Robert Drewrie, aged 16, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 6

The Drewrie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cave ut comprehendas
Motto Translation: Be careful to include

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)