Drueray is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Drueray 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.”
The surname Drueray 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]
"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]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drueray research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1627, 1739, 1531, 1617, 1536, 1567, 1607, 1567, 1527, 1579, 1587, 1623, 1587, 1589, 1641, 1614 and 1624 are included under the topic Early Drueray History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Drury, Drewery, Drewry, Drurie, Drewrie and others.
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 Drueray Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Drueray 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.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Drueray or a variant listed above: Robert Drewrie settled in Virginia in 1635; Abigail Drewery settled in Virginia in 1639; Robert Drewry settled in Virginia in 1638; Elizabeth Drury settled in Virginia in 1653.