Papers of the Drury Lowe Family of Locko Park, Spondon, Derbyshire, late 12th century-c.1985

This collection contains the papers of the Drury Lowe family comprising the Lowes of Denby and Parkhall, Derbyshire, the Drurys of Nottingham and the Holdens of Darley Abbey, Derbyshire and Nuthall Temple, Nottinghamshire. The papers relate primarily to estates in Derbyshire centred upon Locko and Denby but other counties including Nottinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Middlesex, Yorkshire and Wiltshire also feature. The collection includes estate accounts, rentals, deeds, maps and surveys and a large amount of correspondence and general estate papers covering such subjects as coal mining, canals, railways, tenancies, tithes and rents.

In addition to the large amount of estate papers, there is a wealth of material relating to the family's business and financial affairs and various papers also illustrate their daily lives, interests and leisure pursuits. There are a number of papers relating to Richard Lowe who was engaged in a number of business pursuits whilst the personal papers of William Drury Lowe reflect his deep interest in Italian art and culture.

The collection also includes manorial records and papers relating to the local interests of the family including involvement with Derbyshire County Council. A number of papers also relate to the military positions held by various family members. The genealogical records are of assistance in determining the rather complicated succession of ownership of the family's estates and the changes and additions to family names.

Accounts; correspondence; deeds; estate papers; family papers; genealogical papers; household books; manorial records; military papers; official papers; maps and plans; surveys; wills

The papers are arranged by record type.

<p>Family and estate papers of the Holden family (GB 0159 Hn)</p>

• <famname>Drury-Lowe family of Locko Park, Derbyshire</famname>
• <famname>Lowe, Drury-, family of Locko Park, Derbyshire</famname>

Photocopies and photographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only depending on the condition of the documents.

Accessible to all registered readers. Some items, particularly in Dr3 and Dr4 are fragile and cannot be produced.

The initial collection (GB 159 Dr) was acquired in March 1961. Several accruals were subsequently acquired (GB159 Dr2, GB159 Dr3 and GB 159 Dr4).

In 1746 John Lowe (1704-1771) of Denby, Derbyshire purchased the Locko estate, the site of a former leper house, at Spondon, Derbyshire, from the Gilbert family. The Lowe family traces its origins back to Thomas Lowe (d 1415) of Macclesfield, Cheshire and Alderwasley, Derbyshire, whose grandson Lawrence acquired by marriage, property in Denby, the main family home until the purchase of Locko.

On John's death in 1771, Locko passes to his brother Richard (1716-1785), a woollen draper in Covent Garden, London, whose many interests included banking businesses in London and Manchester and supplying the army with clothing.

Like his brother John, Richard died without children and family estates passed to William Drury (1753-1827) of Nottingham. William Drury's grandmother, Anne Lowe, was the daughter of John Lowe (1642-1722) of Denby and the aunt of brothers John and Richard Lowe. She married William Drury of Nottingham and Oakham, Leicestershire.

Following his inheritance, William Drury assumed the name of Lowe by Royal Sign Manual dated 10 July 1790. He also had no son to succeed him. His only daughter, Mary Anne (1783-1840), eloped to Gretna Green in 1800 with Robert Holden (1769-1844) of Darley Abbey, Derbyshire.

Robert Holden and Mary Anne did not actually occupy Locko as William Drury Lowe's widow outlived them both. Upon her death in 1849, in her 104th year, the Lowe estates passed to their eldest son William Holden, who assumed the name and arms of Lowe in 1853. In 1819 Robert Holden had purchased the Nuthall Temple estate in Nottinghamshire and this and other Holden lands passed to William's younger brother Robert (1805-1872).

William Drury Lowe (Holden) was a great collector of paintings with a fascination for Italian art and culture. When he died in 1877 he was succeeded by his son William Drury Nathaniel (1828-1906) who obtained licence in 1884 to take the additional name of Drury and to bear the arms of Drury quarterly with Lowe. Two of William's younger brothers, Sir Drury Curzon Drury-Lowe (1830-1908) and Robert Henry Curzon Drury-Lowe (1831-1907) had particularly distinguished military careers.

William Drury Nathaniel was succeeded by his son William Drury Drury Lowe (1877-1916) who was killed during the First World War when Locko passed to his brother John Alfred Edwin Drury-Lowe (1881-1949). John married Dorothy Casberd-Boteler in 1905 and was succeeded by their son John D B Packe Drury-Lowe (1905-1960).

Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email: mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the reader.