John de Drury

The first mention of the name "Drury" in England comes from the Norman Conquest of 1066 when John de Drury, a knight in William's army, accompanied him from France to England. John de Drury distinguished himself by his valour and bravery on the battlefield at Hastings, October 14, 1066, and his name appears in the "Roll of Battle Abby," prepared by William I to preserve the memory of his valiant knights who distinguished themselves during this bloody engagement.

After the battle, John de Drury was granted a domain by the Crown in County Suffolk, England. The estate, named "Thurston," remained in the family for six hundred years.The Drurys of Suffolk were a prominent knightly family in medieval days with a total of eighteen Knights, five of whom were Sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk, and four Knights of the Shire. Four Drurys, Sir Robert Drury of Rougham (died 1626), Sir Henry Drury of Hedgerley (died 1617), Sir Anthony Drury of Besthorpre (died 1638) and Sir Dru Drury of Rollesby (died 1626), were knighted in the Royal Garden at Whitehall on July 23, 1603 before the coronation of James I.

Over the next five hundred years, the Drury family greatly increased and multiplied. Some family branches emigrated to Australia and to the United States of America in the early 1800’s. The main bloodline remained in England, where it settled in Kent as the Industrial Revolution came about in Britain.