[MR] Birth of John Paston

[Garth Groff]

Noble Friends,

On this date in 1421 was born John Paston, lawyer and knight of Norfolk, and writer of some of the famous Paston Letters. These letters form a family archive, and are one of the best sources on what life was like for an upper middle-class family in 15th century England. There were other John Pastons in the family, and I found it difficult to keep them straight while reading the letters. The John Paston in question died in 1466.

You can read about John Paston at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paston_(died_1466)

For more about the Paston Letters see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paston_Letters

THE PASTON LETTERS is the 1971 Norman Davis edition, which was recently reprinted as an inexpensive paperback in the Oxford World’s Classics series (ISBN 9780199538379). 

BLOOD AND ROSES: ONE FAMILY’S STRUGGLE AND TRIUMPH DURING THE TUMULTUOUS WARS OF THE ROSES by Helen Castor is a very readable family history based on the Paston Letters (ISBN 9780571216703).

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge