Loxton-Parsons

The  family tree below is taken from material recently re-discovered material belonging to the Loxton family It was compiled by Geofrey Loxton. It shows a marriage between a Thomas Loxton and Betty Parsons who were the parents of a George Loxton who was born in 1813 and died in Chewton Mendip in 1880. However, neither Thomas or George have yet been positively identified and other sources define a different family tree. Freereg confirms  that Betty Parsons married Thomas Loxton in Pilton on 17/12/1807. Both were ‘Of the Parish’. George Parsons was one of the witnesses. The Jim (Rupert) listed at the bottom of the tree was my father. Richard Loxton January 2013.

The following family tree is based on a research done by A Loxton of Pretoria,South Africa dated 1997 with additional comments relating to Chewton Mendip added by Richard Loxton in 2013.

A Loxton’s explanation starts with Samuel Loxton (senior) who was born in Pilton c1704. A Harry Loxton of Southampton suggests Samuel was related to the Horrington Loxtons which would link the ‘highland’ and ‘lowland’ clusters of the Loxton clan.

Samuel is described as a contemporary of Christopher Loxton who was baptised in Wells in 1706 who was the son of Samuel and Anstice  (of Somerton) Loxton. It is assumed that Anstice refers to the mother’s name which hints at  a link with the Anstee family of Chewton Mendip.

It was common for girls, or their sons, to be given paternal family names as their first or middle names. Other circumstantial links  are that Thomas Parsons was involved with the Frome and Bruton turnpike roads as a toll collector and Robert Anstee was the Chewton Mendip way warden when the Wells Turnpike  was established in 1753-4. The records from the Chewton Mendip poor book of the period shows the involvement of Robert Anstee with the Turnpike trust (page 2146a).

Another circumstantial link is that The Robert Anstees (there were at least two of them) were tenants of the Kingsmills and may have taken over part of the former Loxton estate.

Research done by a number of the Loxton diaspora show Thomas and Betty Loxton may have spent time in South Africa but they returned home. Their descendents went on to establish towns called Loxton in South Africa and Austrialia.

There may be a case of mistaken identity in the 1861 census, Thomas, George, Sarah, Mary and Elizabeth were common names, or the family may have been drawn to Chewton Mendip due to family links or land holdings.