Thomas Drury (8 May 1551 – 26 August 1603) was a British government informer, messenger and swindler, who is noted for having been one of the main people responsible for accusations of heresy, blasphemy, and seditious atheism on the part of the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe given to the Privy Council in May 1593.
[4] In 1564, Thomas went to Cambridge as a gentleman pensioner at Caius College, although there is no record of his obtaining a degree, possibly because he was a Catholic like most of his family and would therefore not take the required (Protestant) oath.
[7] The first actual record of him after university, however, concerns what appears to have been a deliberate attempt on his part to cheat Lord Burgh and his two sons out of a large sum of money.
[8] Ironically, brother William would die ten years later from wounds received whilst duelling with Sir John Burgh, allegedly over matters of "precedence".
Written in blank verse, it was signed with the name of one of Christopher Marlowe's most famous characters, Tamburlaine, and contained references to at least two other plays of his.
On 10 May, the Lord Mayor offered 100 crowns reward for information, and the following day the Privy Council authorised torture in discovering the perpetrator.
Some time between the posting of the Dutch Church libel and the offer of the reward, Thomas Drury was sent to "stay" Richard Baines, an acquaintance of his, who was thought to know who was responsible.
Under torture in the Bridewell prison, Kyd made a series of allegations concerning Marlowe's atheism, which he later confirmed in writing to Puckering.
In early summer 1595, in France, Drury was bearing letters back to court, a £16 warrant—which suggested much more than a simple message delivery—being signed by Sir Robert Cecil's father Lord Burghley.
[20] He returned to less reputable activities, however, so that in about 1599 he was described by his own nephew as "that degenerate rogue Tom Drury",[20] and even after his death the Attorney-General Sir Edward Coke called him "a man of mean condition and notoriously evil character".