Sir Robert Drury (January 1575 – 1615), of

Hawstead Hawstead is a small village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located south of Bury St. Edmunds between the B1066 and A134 roads, in a fork formed by the River Lark and a small tributary. The ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, and

Drury House Drury House was a historic building on Wych Street, London. It was the house of Sir Robert Drury, after whom Drury Lane was named. It was a meeting place for Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and his accomplices in 1601, when they were plotting ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, was an English Member of Parliament (MP). Robert was the first son of

William Drury Sir William Drury (2 October 152713 October 1579) was an English statesman and soldier. Family William Drury, born at Hawstead in Suffolk on 2 October 1527, was the third son of Sir Robert Drury (c. 1503–1577) of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshir ...

and his wife,

Elizabeth Stafford Elizabeth Stafford, also known as Dame Elizabeth Drury and – in the years prior to her death in 1599 – Dame (Lady) Elizabeth Scott, was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I. She and her first husband, Sir William Drury, entertained Q ...

, the daughter of the courtier Sir William Stafford. He was a Member of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the Great Council of England, great council of Lords Spi ...

for

in 1604 and for

Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

in 1614. However following his father's death from wounds received in a duel in 1590, the family still had debts amounting to £3,000 owed to the crown. Although his mother bought his wardship for £166 13s 4d, but had to relinquish it when William Drury's estate was confiscated. Robert's wardship was regranted to

John Puckering Sir John Puckering (1544 – 30 April 1596) was a lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal from 1592 until his death. Origins He was born in 1544 in Flamborough, East Riding of Y ...

. In 1591 Robert distinguished himself during the Siege of Rouen, and was knighted by

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during th ...

at the age of 16. Four months later on 30 January 1592, his sixteenth birthday, he married

Anne Bacon Anne, Lady Bacon (née Cooke; 1527 or 1528 – 27 August 1610) was an English lady and scholar. She made a lasting contribution to English religious literature with her translation from Latin of John Jewel's ''Apologie of the Anglican Church'' ...

the daughter of

Sir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet, of Redgrave Sir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet (–22 November 1624), of Redgrave, Suffolk, English Member of Parliament. In 1611 he became the first man to be made a baronet. Bacon would serve on many commissions. The Privy Council constantly called upon ...

. Sir Nicholas Bacon then agreed paid off the debt in return for a lease of the Hawstead estate. William's mother had remarried

Sir John Scott John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, (4 June 1751 – 13 January 1838) was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827. Early life Background Eldon ...

with whom she bought back the wardship of Robert from Puckering.

References

1575 births 1615 deaths 17th-century English politicians People from Westminster People from Suffolk English MPs of the Stuart period Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 {{1614-England-MP-stub