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Durston is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the A361 road north east of Taunton and south of
Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...
in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The parish lies on undulating ground between the lowest slopes of the Quantock Hills and the valley of the River Tone at the
Curry and Hay Moors Curry and Hay Moors () is a 472.8 hectare (1168.1 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset, notified in 1992. Curry and Hay Moors form part of the complex of grazing marshes known as the Somerset Levels and Moors. The ...
. The parish has a population of 136.


History

The place-name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word 'deór-tún', being a combination of the word for a wild animal, a deer (deór,) and the word for a fenced enclosure (tún). The most likely interpretation is 'deer park’. Alwig (a
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
; also written Alwi) held DURSTON manor from King Edward the Confessor before the Norman Conquest. Durston appeared in the Domesday Book in 1086 as follows: ''Richard holds of Roger Arundel, DURSTON. Alwig held it TRE and it paid geld for 2 hides and 3 virgates of land. There is land for 4 ploughs. In demesne is 1 plough and 4 slaves; and 4 villans and 5 bordars and 4 cottars with 3 ploughs. There are 15 acres of meadow, and 20 acres of pasture and 20 acres of woodland. It was and is worth 40s.''. John of Erleigh, a Norman knight, later (after 1133) received the Hundred of North Petherton (including Durston) from William the Conqueror's son Henry I. John died in 1165. John was succeeded by his son William de Erlegh who founded Buckland Priory at Durston a priory of regular canons of
St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...
, about 1167. Soon after their institution, these canons ''behaved in a very riotous and disorderly manner, especially in killing their steward''. Therefore, in 1180, the King removed them to other monasteries, at Taunton and elsewhere, and gave their priory to the sister Hospitallers of the order of St. John of Jerusalem. A Preceptory of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John was built nearby. The site was and is still known as Buckland. Several historical documents give tantalizing glimpses of the lives of these Sisters, who originally cared for sick pilgrims and crusaders in Jerusalem. For whatever reason, the royal grant stipulated that this be the only Hospitallers' house in England that could receive Sisters of that order. It was later written that ′′in all respects the sisters were looked on only as servants, and as not capable of receiving or holding anything other than from the supreme powers of the order''. In 1229 they were granted the right to a cart-load of dead wood and three cart-loads of faggots per week from the park of
Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...
. In 1234 the king ordered that each Sister be given a tunic and a pair of slippers every year. In 1398 the Grand Master of the Order of Knights Hospitallers urged that a preceptor be named ′′''whose age and character should prevent any scandal arising from his association with the nuns''′′. Disputes with the Knights Hospitallers at Buckland, whose
Preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...
had authority over the Sisters, occurred from time to time. Around 1267 the prior of the Hospitallers in England, attending a conflict between the priory and the precept, ordered that the Sisters have their own Steward. Again, in 1338, the Preceptor of the Knights complained that the Sisters were more of a burden than a help. In 1500, however, this Preceptory was closed, while the Sisters´ Priory remained. Finally, in 1539, after the creation of the Church of England, the Sisters surrendered their house to
King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
. as occurred with many monasteries and convents in that time. Around 1565 two of the former Sisters were married, one to Thomas Speed and the other to the Vicar of Lyng. Around 1200 William's daughter Mabel married Philip Arbalistarius, who was given the manor of Mansel ( Maunsel House, a mile and a half NE of Durston). Philip had to give William two young pigs every Whitsun, ″at his court of Durston″. A deer park existed in 1223, a little north of the Durston manor house. These deer were brought from
Blackmore Blackmore is a village in Essex, England. It is located approximately 3 miles (5 km) east of Chipping Ongar and 4 miles (7 km) north of Brentwood. The village is in the parish of Blackmore, Hook End and Wyatts Green in the Brentwoo ...
forest, in Dorset. In the 14th century, buildings at North Petherton were constructed of wood from some of the park´s trees. In 1434 the park included 200 acres of wood and 60 acres of meadow. A later John of Erleigh, born in 1322,left the manor of Durston and woods to his daughter Margaret, who married Sir Walter Sandy. The property passed through several other families, including such surnames as St. Maur (or Seymour), Stawell and Portman. In 1391 there were several craftsmen at Durston, such as a tanner, a smith, a skinner, and a barber, outside the gates of the priory. A spring north of Durston fed fishponds established in the later 12th century and supplied the priory with water. The water supply was channeled from a conduit by the 1260s. These fishponds were filled in by 1725. Cogload Farm is on the site of a hamlet established by the later 13th century. Lodge Farmhouse dates from the 15th century and may once have been an ecclesiastical residence. It has been designated as a grade II* listed building. The Buckland inn was in use in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1752 the Taunton-Glastonbury road became a turnpike. The Durston inn was opened by 1841.


Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The village falls within the non-metropolitan district of Somerset West and Taunton, which was established on 1 April 2019. It was previously in the district of Taunton Deane, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, and part of Taunton Rural District before that. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads,
council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...
, environmental health, markets and fairs,
refuse collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable m ...
and recycling,
cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
and
crematoria Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...
, leisure services, parks, and tourism.
Somerset County Council Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county. On 1 April 2023 the county counc ...
is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education,
social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...
, libraries, main roads, public transport,
policing The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. It is also part of the Taunton Deane county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to
Britain leaving the European Union Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EA ...
in January 2020, which elected seven
MEPs A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, it ...
using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.


Transport

The
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal is a canal in the south-west of England between Bridgwater and Taunton, opened in 1827 and linking the River Tone to the River Parrett. There were a number of abortive schemes to link the Bristol Channel ...
also ran through the village, when it opened in 1827. It is crossed by two bridges, Headworthy and Swan's Neck. The
Bristol and Exeter Railway The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with ...
opened the Yeovil Branch Line on 1 October 1853 from a new junction station at Durston. The branch closed on 6 July 1964, with Durston station remaining open only until 5 October 1964. It is located close to Cogload Junction, a vital railway flyover.


Religious sites

The parish Church of St John was rebuilt in 1853 on the site of an earlier church.


See also

*
Durston (surname) Durston is an English toponymic surname. The name was first recorded in 1641 in ''A Somerset Petition of 1641''. The name is taken from the village of Durston in Somerset. It is derived from the ang, deór-tún, as=y, a combination of "deer" () and ...


References


External links

{{Taunton Deane Villages in Taunton Deane Civil parishes in Somerset