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José Vicente de Bragança 25
Location: Caparica, Portugal
Date: 07/02/2006

I have been researching a Thomas Custance, b 1770(?4) and died in Lisbon,
Portugal and who who left progeny in my country.
He seems to have come to Portugal during the Peninsula War where he had a
relative in the British Army fighting here under the command of General
Beresford and Lord Wellington. He married here a Portuguese Lady and left
descendancy.

I have consulted your excellent website looking for more data and found his
ancestors in the male line but no place of origin and professions.
My Thomas Custance used a bookplate in his Library with the Custance Arms.

Denise Cardy 24
Location: England
Date: 15/09/2004

Hi I'm Denise Cardy (nee Custance) descendant of Robert Custance (born 1510) and would like to give you some alterations and additions to the information you have posted on the website....
William Alfred Custance ((born to William and Louisa in 1871) married Emma Jane Leonard from Henbury in Gloucestershire (born 24.01.1875 to John James Leonard (born approx 1852) and Mary Ettle (born approx 1853))on 7th September 1896 in Nottingham.

Their Son, Robert Warner Custance (born 17 Nov 1906, died 10th October 1966) married Irene Eliza Laxton (born in Nottingham on 25th August 1909 to Herbert William Laxton and Eliza Mullin) on 27th November 1931 in Nottingham.

Robert and Irene's 3 children,
David Robert Custance (my father, born 27th November 1934, married on 12th May 1956 to Mavis Dorothy Marshall (born 14th February 1937 to John Marshall (born 5th May 1915, died 24 Sept 1981) and Elsie West (born 9th April 1916, married 27th April 1935).
Kenneth Samuel Custance (born 13th February 1939 married to Jean Wilson on 30th July 1966)
Brenda Custance 1st marriage to Eric Outhwaite, 2nd marriage to Alfred Goddard.

David and Mavis Custance have 3 children
Dawn Karen (born 15 Sept 1960) married 20 Mar 1982 to Tony Sunderland..3 children, Jessica, Leah and Gavin.
Denise (myself, born 6th October 1963) married on 26th May 1990 to Daryl William George Cardy (born 1st May 1964)..4 children, Jennifer, Deanna, Matthew, Sarah.
Paula (born 13th May 1970) married 19th September 1992 to Stephen Elliott... 1 child Ashley.

Ken and Jean have no children

Brenda had 2 children from her first marriage to Eric..Trevor and Geoffrey.

Sadly, our line of Custances have died out, but thank you for enabling me to go back a bit further with my research!

Mary Ann Collier 23
Location: France
Date: 29/04/2004

Hi Graham,
I am researching my maternal grand mothers ancestry. The surname is Cuttance and I have traced the family back to the 1590's in Cornwall. My grandmother often told me about her ancestors smuggling history which I have found to be accurate based on reports and documents of the 1700 and 1800's.

My grandmother claimed the Cuttance family originated in the region of Coutance and that wealthy French relatives who lived in a forest near Coutance fled during the French Revolution and travelled to the Cornwall branch of the family. Her grandfather who was born in Cornwall claimed his family spoke French and it was said he himself did and this was commented upon by fellow pioneers in New Zealand.

My main question is whether Cuttance is a derivative of Custance or.... in your opinion.... is it a derivative of Coutance. I am aware that there have been Coutance's in Jersey for many decades and that smuggling was a common actvity in that island as well.

I would also be grateful for any pointers you can give me in regards to tracking down the Cuttance connection in France.

Michael JN Custance 22
Location: France
Date: 03/02/2004

Dear Graham
I have moved to live in France. I visited Coutance last week, bought a book on the city and discovered this below.

THE REGION OF COUTANCE and the COUTANCAIS people.

Little is known about the region before the arrival of the Romans in about 66AD. In 296AD a Roman official, Custance Chlore, who was responsible for the area of Gaul (France) and England left for England to put down a usurper called Allectus. Tradition has that the city from which he left on this conquering voyage was named Constancia or Pagus Constantinus, the region of the Coutances.

Very little of this époque is left. There are some sarcophaguses in one village, some decoration costumes in another village, and one piece of money marked with the place name of ‘Custantia’. (see photo) This is early evidence of the spelling of Custan… as opposed to Constan….. The coin has on it the head of Constancia II, the grandson of Custance Chlore.

There a chronicles of medieval religious establishments. 30 bishops succeeded each other as bishops of Coutance before 866AD when Coutance was sacked by the Saxons. ‘Gregory of Tours’ writes that elements of Saxons from the North, ie Briton, invaded in this époque

Then in 1066 in number of citizens of Coutance accompanied their Norman Duke, William the Conqueror to invade England and claim the throne.

What is interesting is that the name Custance seems to have been derived from a Roman general or official or governor of the region during the Roman occupation of what was then Gaul.

Vivien Brown 21
Location: England
Date: 05/04/2004

Hi Graham

I have just been browsing your excellent website. My great aunt May Blake b.1895 married Stanley Custance on 12 Nov 1919. Stanley was a widower and states his age as 35...making him born in 1884. I have traced their children as Derrick, Kenneth and Stanley ....I hadn't tracked down Dennis but wonder if he may have been from Stanley's first marriage.

You have Stanley being being born in 1893 making him approx 10 years younger and so this may have been an age error on the Marriage Certificate.

Stanley stated that he was a confectioner. Have you any further information on him or his family.

The Custance Website

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