| Administrative History | Born in Hawstead, Suffolk, Robert Drury (1456-1536) was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1473 and became a prominent lawyer, courtier and servant of the crown. He was elected Knight of the Shire (MP) for Suffolk in 1491, 1495 (when he also became Speaker of the House) and 1510. He was knighted in 1497 after fighting against the rebels at Blackheath and was one of the knights to bear the canopy at the burial of the young Prince Henry in 1511. In 1520 he was present at the meeting of Henry VIII and Francis I France, known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. He built a mansion known as Drury House in what was then the Via de Aldwych in Landon, which later became Drury Lane. He is buried in St Mary's church, Bury St Edmunds. |
| Custodial History | Transferred from Derby Local Studies Library in 1981. |