Show ContentsDrewry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Drewry family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They 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 Drewry family

The surname Drewry 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 Drewry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drewry 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 Drewry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drewry Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Drewry were recorded, including Drury, Drewery, Drewry, Drurie, Drewrie and others.

Early Notables of the Drewry family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • 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'...

Drewry Ranking

In the United States, the name Drewry is the 14,348th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]

Ireland Migration of the Drewry family to Ireland

Some of the Drewry 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.


United States Drewry migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Drewry arrived in North America very early:

Drewry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Drewry, who landed in Virginia in 1638 [6]
  • Abigail Drewry, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 [6]
  • Isaac Drewry, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 [6]
  • Hen Drewry, who landed in Virginia in 1698 [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Drewry (post 1700) +

  • Patrick Henry Drewry (1875-1947), American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia (1920-1947)
  • Brigadier-General Guy Humphrey Drewry (1894-1973), American Director of Production & Purchases Division, Army Service Forces (1945) [7]
  • David John Drewry (b. 1947), English glaciologist and geophysicist
  • Arthur Drewry CBE (1891-1961), English football administrator, 5th President of FIFA (1955-1961)
  • George Leslie Drewry (1894-1918), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Edward Lancaster "E.L." Drewry, Canadian-born founder of Drewry’s Lake of the Woods Brewery in Winnipeg in 1877
  • Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Francis Drewry KCB CBE, British Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
  • James Sidney Drewry (1883-1952), British engineer who claimed to be the originator of the petrol railcar, founder of Drewry Car Co, a railway locomotive and railcar sales organization in 1906
  • George Drewry Squibb LVO BCL MA FSA FRHistS FSG QC (1906-1994), British lawyer, herald and antiquary
  • Drewry Ottley (b. 1754), Antiguan judge and politician, president and Chief Justice of St. Vincent, West Indies


The Drewry 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


  1. 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)
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) Guy Drewry. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Drewry/Guy_Humphrey/USA.html


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