DURSTON
The parish of Durston, on the southern edge of
North Petherton hundred, lies 7.5 km. northeast of Taunton. (fn. 85) Roughly oval in shape, it
measures 2.4 km. from east to west and 1.5 km.
from north to south at its widest point. A
detached part of the parish, lying 1 km. beyond
the eastern boundary in North moor between
Lyng and North Petherton and known as Priestwood (32 a.), was transferred to Lyng in 1888. (fn. 86)
In 1891 and later the parish measured 1,013 a.
(410 ha.). (fn. 87)
The parish lies on undulating ground where
the lowest slopes of the Quantocks descend to
the valley of the Tone at Curry moor. Its
northern boundary is marked by a stream and
its south-eastern by a watercourse called Old
Rhyne, which marks the end of Curry moor. A
stream runs southwards between the highest
ground to the west, rising to 47 m., and a small
central ridge, from which the land falls eastwards to another stream running into the Old
Rhyne. Most of the parish lies on Keuper marl,
with a small area of Upper Sandstone in the
extreme north-west, valley gravels in the south,
and a narrow tongue of alluvium along the
course of the eastern stream. (fn. 88) Limestone was
quarried for a few years from 1650, possibly at
a site later called Quarry close on the western
edge of the parish, (fn. 89) and red sand was dug in the
1870s. (fn. 90)
Durston 1838
The Taunton-Glastonbury road, turnpiked by
the Taunton trust in 1752, (fn. 91) runs from east to
west through the centre of the parish, entering
near Durston Elms. There a road north to West
Newton forms part of the western boundary;
another runs south to Creech St. Michael, a
modern replacement for an earlier route south
from Walford Cross which was blocked in 1973
by the construction of the M5 motorway. Lanes
and footpaths lead from the central spine road
to the fields, including Curry Lane to Creech
St. Michael and Frog Lane. At the extreme
eastern edge of the parish Primmore Lane leads
north towards North Petherton; Priestwood
Lane leads north-east to the detached part of the
parish at Priestwood. (fn. 92) Another lane leads south
from the main road to Cogload. The main road
was widened in the 1960s.
The Bridgwater and Taunton canal, running
through the south-eastern part of the parish, was
opened in 1827. It is crossed by two bridges,
Headworthy and Swan's Neck, to provide access
to fields. The canal was virtually unused commercially after 1892. (fn. 93) The Bridgwater and
Taunton section of the Bristol and Exeter railway, entering the parish beside the canal and
running roughly parallel with it, was under
construction in 1841 (fn. 94) and was completed the
following year. Durston station, however, lay in
Lyng parish. A loop from Athelney was brought
to a junction at Cogload in 1906 as part of the
new London route through Castle Cary, a junction modified in 1931. (fn. 95)
The two principal settlements, Higher and
Lower Durston, line the Taunton-Glastonbury
road. Higher Durston, around the junction with
Frog Lane and a path to West Newton, includes
the church, Lodge Farm (the former manor
house), the former school, and the Buckwell, the
latter a source of water mentioned in 1651 (fn. 96) and
fed in the 19th century from a long narrow lake
beside Lodge Farm. Lower Durston lies near
the site of Buckland priory and preceptory and
seems to have been known as Crosse by Buckland. In 1391 it comprised at least 16 messuages
occupied by craftsmen such as a tanner, a smith,
a skinner, and a barber, perhaps suggesting an
attempt to plant an urban settlement outside the
gates of the priory. (fn. 97) Cogload Farm, on the
eastern edge of the parish, occupies the site of a
hamlet established by the later 13th century. (fn. 98)
Its name suggests that it was near a significant
watercourse, (fn. 99) presumably the Old Rhyne which
may thus mark the original course of the River
Tone. There were several farmsteads there in
the mid 18th century. (fn. 1)
Cogload Farm is a building of the 16th century
or earlier with jointed crucks and two curing
chambers. Froglane Farm, much altered in the
19th century, formerly had a smoke-blackened
roof and Yardside, also in Frog Lane, is of
three-roomed plan, with hall chimney against
the screens passage. (fn. 2) Hascolls Farm, Lower
Durston, dates from c. 1650. Maytree Cottage,
Higher Durston, was formerly a tollhouse built
c. 1850 at Walford Cross, West Monkton, and
removed to its present site c. 1874. (fn. 3)
The site of Buckland priory and preceptory
appears to be occupied by the farmhouse and
buildings of Buckland Farm. (fn. 4) A spring rising
north of the site fed fishponds established in the
later 12th century and then supplied the priory
with water and drainage. (fn. 5) The ponds, equipped
with a boat in 1540, (fn. 6) were filled in by 1725, (fn. 7) but
were in use as ponds in 1985. The water supply
was channelled from a conduit by the 1260s, (fn. 8) the
conduit standing in a field variously known as
Flaggy or Flagons Chapel. (fn. 9)
The shapes of fields in the south-west part of
the parish suggest the former existence there of
a common arable field. (fn. 10) In the south-east part
lay medieval meadow around Cogload. (fn. 11) Buckland manor in 1544 (fn. 12) included 20 a. of woodland,
part known as Perifield grove, perhaps giving
its name to Perry Ville farmstead, (fn. 13) later Perryville Barton.
A medieval park was formed north of Durston
manor house c. 1223 and was stocked from
Blackmore forest (Dors.). (fn. 14) Timber from the
part was used to build a hall and solar at North
Petherton in the early 14th century. (fn. 15) The park
was said to have comprised 200 a. of wood and
60 a. of meadow in 1434. (fn. 16) The park survived as
a separate farm into the later 17th century, (fn. 17) but
was later incorporated into Lodge farm. Woodland called Buckland warren was referred to in
1695, (fn. 18) and a small field called Warren Kennel
lay on the eastern side of the parish. (fn. 19) By 1838
it formed two small enclosures known as Warrens Plot and Kennel Plot, (fn. 20) both then tithe free
because formerly part of Buckland priory estate.
There was an inn in the parish by 1613, (fn. 21)
probably the inn at Buckland which in 1686
offered a single guest bed and stabling for two
horses. (fn. 22) It was known as the Buckland inn by
1696, (fn. 23) and continued in use throughout the 18th
century. (fn. 24) It was apparently pulled down between 1821 and 1828. (fn. 25) Another inn was opened
by 1841 (fn. 26) which by 1866 was called the Durston
inn. (fn. 27) It occupied the house known in 1985 as
Mountlands in Lower Durston, and ceased to
be an inn after 1883. (fn. 28)
In 1801 the population of Durston was 169. It
rose to 258 in 1851 but thereafter declined in
almost every decade. In 1981 the usually resident population was 108. (fn. 29)