George Durant (1731–1780)

George Durant (20 November 1731 – 4 August 1780) was a British landowner.

Life

Durant was born the second son of the Reverend Josiah Durant, rector of Hagley, Worcestershire and educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He was a senior clerk in the Pay Office and was sent with the Army as paymaster on an expedition to Havana, which was a lucrative posting. On his return he purchased the village of Tong in Shropshire from the Duke of Kingston in 1764 and rebuilt Tong Castle in a unique style.

Between 1768 and 1774 he was Member of Parliament for Evesham.

He died in 1780 and was buried in St. Bartholomew’s church, Tong. He had married Maria, the daughter of Mark Beaufoy, with whom he had a son and a daughter.