William Drury-Lowe (1753–1827) was a British merchant who inherited

Locko Park Locko Park is a privately owned 18th-century country house in between the villages of Stanley and Ockbrook in the borough of Erewash, near Spondon, Derbyshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The estate was acquired by Willi ...

, and helped create the

Derby Canal The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, in Derbyshire, England. The canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 179 ...

. He was a

High Sheriff of Derbyshire High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

and a Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire.

Biography

He was born to William Drury of

Oakham Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

and his wife Mary Hunt (died 1791), daughter of Thomas Hunt, a

mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. He was a merchant of

Bread Street Bread Street is one of the 25 wards of the City of London the name deriving from its principal street, which was anciently the City's bread market; already named ''Bredstrate'' (to at least 1180) for by the records it appears as that in 1302, ...

, London. Drury's fortune was made some years after the death of his cousin Robert Lowe in 1785. His cousin had died leaving the valuable estate of

to his youngest daughter Anne. Anne refused the inheritance as the conditions were that she marry someone from a shortlist of eligible bachelors chosen by her father. After taking legal advice it was decided that as Drury had a Lowe ancestor (a great-grandfather), he should inherit the lands and estate on the condition that he adopted the Lowe surname and paid Anne £50,000. Drury-Lowe, as he became in 1790, was able to extend the lands and buildings he had inherited after he invested in the creation of the

. The canal made the collieries at Denby more viable. It also assisted in the creation of potteries at Denby which started on Drury-Lowe's land.The notice of dissolution refers to " the Partnership heretofore carried on by the undersigned, Robert Charles George Brohier, and Joseph Jager, as Stone Bottle-Manufacturers, and otherwise, at a place called Jagersburgh, in the Parish of Denby, in the County of Derby, under the style or firm of Brohier & Jager..." Drury-Lowe became the

in 1795 as well as serving as captain of a troop of Derbyshire Volunteer Cavalry for nine years. Drury-Lowe was also made the Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire in 1797.

Family

Drury-Lowe married Anne Steer of

Burton Latimer Burton, Burtons, or Burton's may refer to: Companies * Burton (retailer), a clothing retailer ** Burton's, Abergavenny, a shop built for the company in 1937 **The Montague Burton Building, Dublin a shop built for the company between 1929 and ...

, and had no male heir. He had a daughter (Mary) Anne, baptised 1783, who married Robert Holden. Their engagement was agreed by Drury-Lowe but they eloped and were married at

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was historica ...

in August 1800, marriage formalized in nearby

Spondon Spondon is a ward of the city of Derby. Originally a small village, Spondon dates back to the Domesday Book and it became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with companies such as British Celanese. History The n ...

on 31 August 1800. Robert inherited Locko Park; but never lived there since his mother-in-law outlived him, dying in 1848.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Drury-Lowe, William People from the Borough of Erewash 1753 births 1827 deaths People from Nottingham High Sheriffs of Derbyshire Deputy Lieutenants of Derbyshire