Henry Drury

Henry Joseph Thomas Drury (27 April 1778 – 5 March 1841), known as Harry Drury, was an English educator, classical scholar, and friend of Lord Byron.

Life Henry Drury was born 27 April 1778, at Harrow, London, the son of Joseph Drury, headmaster of Harrow School. He was educated at both Harrow and Eton, and at King's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1797, B.A. 1801, M.A. 1804, Fellow 1799–1808 He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1818.

Drury was considered the favourite candidate to succeed George Butler as headmaster of Harrow in 1829; Charles Longley, an Oxford academic and a last-minute external candidate, was instead appointed. Thereafter Drury's effectiveness as a schoolmaster declined: he became "increasingly eccentric, bad-tempered, and indolent", losing classroom control, missing morning lessons, wearing flowery dressing-gowns, eating fruit during lessons, and borrowing cigars from schoolboys. Nonetheless, he remained well-liked by the boys.

He died at Harrow on 5 March 1841. Caroline's sister Susannah Tayler later married Hodgson.

He had five sons, including Henry Drury, Archdeacon of Wiltshire, Admiral Byron Drury, and Colonel Heber Drury.