Joseph Prust was born in 1620 and baptised at Bideford. He was the 2nd son of Hugh Prust of Gorven in the parish of Hartland, by his first wife Anne Cary, daughter of Francis Cary of Alwington and Clovelly The Prusts were an ancient Devon family, first mentioned in a deed of 1199 referring to Osbert Prust, whose son was "John Prust of Gorven" The Prusts of Annery were related by marriage to the Coffin family, lords of the manor of Monkleigh in which Annery was situated. In 1628 his father Hugh Prust married as his second wife Elizabeth Hurding, daughter of Henry Hurding of Dorset and widow of John Coffin of Portledge in the parish of Alwington and lord of the manor of Monkleigh. In 1645 Joseph's elder brother Hugh Prust married their step-sister Jane Coffin, eldest daughter of John Coffin.
Career
Prust was a staunch Royalist during the Civil War. His inscribed ledger stone survives in the floor of the Annery Chapel in Monkleigh Church and reveals that he was a Lt.Col. in the Regiment of Horse of Sir Thomas Stucley of Affeton Castle and that he lost a hand during combat in the Civil War at Plymouth. His ledger stone shows the following biographical inscription: "Here lieth interred Joseph Prust of Annerie gent. sometime leiutent colon'l of horse to sr. Thomas Stuckley in his Maj'ties service of blessed memoryCharles the First in which he lost one of his hands in fight before Plimouth. Joseph Prust, obiit Oct 17 77 anno aetat. 57. Anagr. He is support. How law, religion, loyalty did fall,
He married Anne Keynes, daughter and co-heiress of John Keynes, by whom he had three sons and one daughter:
Hugh Prust, eldest son who died an infant
Joseph Prust, 2nd son, died childless
Capt. John Prust, of Annery, 3rd son. He married Mary Leigh, by whom he had three sons who died young and a daughter and heiress Anne Prust, who married in 1715 Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, an Irish peer and governor of Wexford. Her husband deserted her almost immediately and entered into a further bigamous marriage. Anne Prust died childless and was buried in August 1741 as Countess of Anglesey.
Death and burial
Joseph Prust died in 1677 aged 57 and was buried at Monkleigh. He left at his death two surviving sons, Joseph II Prust, second but eldest surviving son, who died childless leaving as heir to his father's estate his younger brother John Prust, a captain in the army. Joseph II was buried in his mother's grave and John in that of his father.
