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What is the significance of the Paston Letters?
The Paston Letters are a collection of correspondence to and from the Paston family of Norfolk. Dating from between 1440 and 1489 they highlight social, economic, political and military issues of the day. The Paston family are also notable for their rise to prominence.
Who wrote the Paston letter?
The collection was reedited by James Gairdner as The Paston Letters, 1422–1509 in six volumes in 1904. The collection remains of outstanding interest to philologists as evidence of the English language at a crucial period in its development.
What era were Paston letters written?
The 15th Century Paston Letters. The Paston family are today probably most famous for the letters which they wrote to each other between 1418 and 1509. Over 1000 letters from that period were found at Oxnead in 1735. They are the only known collection of personal letters from that period written in English.
Where did the Pastons live?
In the 1420’s Oxnead became the principal home of the Paston family and they continued to live at Oxnead for over 350 years until 1732. The Pastons rose from humble origins to become one of the most eminent and possibly the richest family in Norfolk.
Where did Margaret Paston live?
b. 1423, Norfolk, England; d. 1484, England The Pastons were a wealthy farming family in Norfolk, England, whose correspondence (1422–1509) illuminates the everyday life of the medieval English gentry.
Why are the Paston Letters important to history?
For historians, the letters are a primary source for the political history of 15th-century England and also for the domestic history of medieval English provincial society.
Where are the Paston Letters of Sir John Fastolf?
It is invaluable to historians and philologists and is preserved mainly in the British Museum. Part is derived from the circle of the career soldier Sir John Fastolf ( c. 1378–1459), and part is from the correspondence of the Paston family, Fastolf’s neighbours in eastern Norfolk.
Who are the Pastons of the Court of Common Pleas?
The Pastons involved in the letters include William (d. 1444), who became a justice of the Court of Common Pleas; his son John I (d. 1466), a London lawyer; John’s two sons, John II (d. 1479) and John III (d. 1503), both of whom were knighted; and their respective wives and children.
How many items are in the Paston collection?
The collection of more than 1,000 items contains legal records, local and national news, and gossip; through all this, the characters of the writers emerge vividly.