Who's Who in Medieval History
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Margaret Paston was also known as:
Margaret Paston is noted for:
Occupation:
Place of Residence and Influence:
Important Dates:
Quotation from Margaret Paston:
- "I pray you that you will wear the ring with the image of St. Margaret that I sent you for a remembrance till you come home. You have left me such a remembrance that makes me to think upon you both day and night when I would sleep."
--Letter to her husband John, Dec. 14, 1441, in which she discusses in passing her pregnancy
About Margaret Paston:
Margaret was born to a prominent Norfolk family. Her marriage to John Paston, son of William and Agnes, was arranged but proved a happy one, and she clearly sympathized with her in-laws, who she called "Mother" and "Father." Margaret frequently managed her husband's properties when he was away and even faced armed forces who physically ejected her from the household. She had seven children who lived to adulthood, and she took a direct interest in their affairs. Margarat Paston died 18 years after her husband, at the age of 61.
For more about Margaret's life, visit the Concise Biography of Margaret Paston.
About the Paston Family Letters:
An extensive correspondence among Paston family members, written between the years 1422 and 1509, was preserved, acquired by antiquarians, and eventually published in the 18th century. These letters -- from husbands to wives, mothers to sons, brothers to brothers and so forth -- provide an excellent window into 15th-century life, later medieval family relationships, and the evolution of the English language. Of the letters, 104 of them were written by Margaret, allowing her personality to come through most strongly.
For more about the letters, read this encyclopedia article.
More Margaret Paston Resources:
Biography of Margaret Paston
Encyclopedia Article about the Paston Letters
Margaret Paston on the Web
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Margaret Paston, et. al.
A helpful collection of resources at Other Women's Voices.
Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century
The letters in Middle English at the University of Virginia Library.
Paston Family Tree
Helpful diagram at James Adams Historic Enterprises.
Margaret Paston in Print
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The Paston Letters: A Selection in Modern Spelling
(Oxford World's Classics)
edited by Norman Davis
The Pastons And Their England
by H. S. Bennett
Most Wise & Valiant Ladies
by Andrea Hopkins
Medieval Britain
Daily Life and Society
Women and Gender Issues
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