DURSTON circa 1573-1707. Re: The battle of Sedgemoor

[DSR]

Someone might have the missing clue for this :

I have all but finished my Durston line complete with an history profile that would make a great ITV drama.

But I have links with the John Durston of Langport that settled in Catcott in 1573.

His son ( John Durston and his son Thomas Durston........... ) took part in The battle of Sedgemoor. ( James II - Usual battle of religion ).


Refs found in the SRO and many, many, mannnnnnnnnny other places have given me a complete history of what Thomas Durston ate the night before the battle, how many times he wagged his finger and the state of his fingernails.  I know more about this era of Durstons then my own children.

BUT !

The trail goes dead between a Thomas Durston being buried in 1688 in the family grave in Moorlinch Somerset and a John Durston being born 1707 in Catcott.

I cannot find any record, parish or otherwise prior to John Durston b1707 or any record forward from Thomas Durston d1688.


Humour me on this, the link is there ( I just dont want to clog the forum up with reams of paperwork ), but I cant find any BMD entry in any form.


Is anyone else stuck around these era on the Durstons from Catcott circa late 1600's, early 1700's ?

[pentangle]

Sorry, no answers, but I have exactly the same conundrum.  I have tracked back to John Durston 1707 but have nothing concrete thereafter.  Incidentally I am not aware of any evidence that his birth date was 1707 but suspect it was someone's guess at some stage.  If you have validated that date I would be very interested.

There is a thread on Ancestry that suggests that Thomas Durston (died 1741) and Elizabeth (died 1734) were John's parents, but I do not know why that conclusion should have been reached  - there are references to them on Familysearch but nothing definitive.  I imagine the Thomas Durston died 1688 who you refer to may be the gentleman who set up the Durston Trust in Catcott (will dated 1686) for poor descendents of his grandfather, who was also Thomas Durston - I wonder if we qualify for a payout!

I agree there must be a connection that will take this tree way back, but a lot of people have been interested in this and I do not know that anyone has cracked it so here's hoping!

Best Regards, Brett

[DSR]

There is another two of us working on this and its looking pretty positive at the moment.

But your correct in that I'm trying to link Capt Thomas Durston buried 22 June 1688 with John Durston.  Family rumours tell of a link.

[baldingsoon]

I have just joined RootsChat and am interested in your family connection to John Durston. I am a direct
descendant of the John who married Betty Hooper in 1770 and am confident that his parents were
John Durston and Francis Carver. However, I too have been unable to to prove the 1707 birth date as the Parish Records are undecipherable and have been trying to make the link with the "Thomas Durstons" of Moorlinch also John of Langport who died in 1572.

I would be extremely interested to hear about your links and whether you have any idea of the source of the information regarding the Durston's participation in the Battle of Sedgemoor.

I am afraid that I was landed with the same name that crops up the most in this research.
Looking forward to your reply
John

[DSR]

Hi John


I'm still working away on this.  All the parish records have so far been inconclusive.

However, if you're directly related to Christopher Durston ( m Sophia Rouse ) then you have direct lines back to the Normans and William the Conqueror.

[baldingsoon]

Thanks for the reply. I haven't found a link with a Christopher Durston and regrettably so far have been unable to prove that my roots extend any further back than the middle of the eighteenth century.

Oh well keep on looking eh?

[pentangle]

Christopher married Sophia Rouse who was from a very well connected family - there is some suggestion that he was in service to her so married the boss!  As DSR says, Sophia's line runs and runs.  Sadly I am not connected with Christopher/Sophia either and have a similar line to you.

Christopher was, in fact, a son of John Durston (1707?) and brother (I think) of John on your line.  My line is through Henry Durston, half brother of these two.  Unfortunately this does not give us a connection to Sophia Rouse :-(

[DSR]

Sometimes I think the medieval links are a pain in the backside.

However, it's fun looking at the tombs in many of UK's cathedrals and thinking ' I've found my 28th Great Grandfathers gravestone' without getting wet, muddy , being called a goth or wearing my grave robbers outfit !

[syljun]

I don't suppose I qualify only being a descendant of Christopher's sister Sarah who married John Grant.
 The only other connection being Julia Hooper married John Rouse Durston. Julia being sister of my 3xGrt Grandmother. It would be great to go so far back in History.
Syljun