Customer Reviews

A Medieval Family: The Pastons of Fifteenth-Century England

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While the book boasts a large cast of interesting characters, the Paston family really comes alive through the Gies' judicious use of the family's own words...three generations of Paston and Paston associates' letters.

It is non-fiction, but through the letters and the context provided by the Gies' extensive research, the book reads like a non-fiction novel. I especially enjoyed Margaret Paston and the wry humor she managed to express in her letters as she played an important part in both family battles and the land battles that were common in her time.

I was also impressed with the small world that medieval England must have been. Chaucer's relatives, a few English kings, Queen Margaret, and Sir John Fastolf (the basis for Shakespeare's Falstaf) all came and went in various roles of importance in the lives of an otherwise everyday middle class family.

The Pastons were not a likeable bunch. They were ambitious, litigious and acquisitive, embroiled in endless fights (both in and out of court) for diverse manors and lands - and making innocent parties, such as their servants and tenants, suffer as a consequence of these fights. They probably did not think twice about perjuring themselves in issues as sensitive as a man's last will, if it was in their interests to do so. They did not hesitate to change allegiances if the lord they served suddenly fell from favour, as often happened in those politically fraught times. They were snobbish social climbers, not above considering a mercer's daughter as a prospective bride if she happened to have a good dowry, but turning their back on their own daughter and sister when she had the audacity of marrying for love. They are not pleasant people, at least by modern-day standards. And yet (or maybe because of it) their lives are fascinating.

We are lucky that this medieval family's letters have been preserved, thus providing us with a priceless window into the late Middle Ages and what England was like at that time. And we are also lucky that there are scholars such as Frances and Joseph Gies, capable of weaving the letters into a gripping narrative that takes us through three generations of a family's life. This book is a real page-turner.

There are very few things missing. One oddity, in my opinion, is that the excommunication of one of the Paston patriarchs was passed over in one or two lines. Religion was all-important in the Middle Ages, so I suppose being excommunicated must have had a great impact (both practical and psychological) on this individual and his relatives. However, the issue was not analyzed. Also, I would have enjoyed more info on young Margery Paston's clandestine marriage to Richard Calle, the Paston bailiff. Margery defied her family in marrying a man they considered their social inferior, and was shunned by them for it. No information is given on her or her husband's later lives, except for the fact that apparently they had three surviving children. Margery and Richard are the two most endearing people in this chronicle, and I would have liked to know more about what happened to them (indeed, one hopes that they were happy!).

But, all in all, this book was a great read, and a source of important knowledge about the Wars of the Roses, as well as about the lives of a social class whose fortunes were on the rise towards the end of the fifteenth century.

The Paston family, whose large collection of personal correspondence is the basis for this book, helps us see firsthand the lifestyle and attitudes of the Middle Ages. Although intriguing, I wasn't ready to limit my medieval reading to one family. The sheer volume of information obtained from personal correspondence and legal records makes this a heavy read if you are not a scholar. I read all the other Gies books with great enjoyment.

This book is great source for genealogy research on the Paston family. I bought this as part of my research on the Flegg family (ancestors of Margaret (Mauteby) Paston). It is still an interesting read even if you aren't related. You get very involved in their stories. This is not a general overview of life at this time but includes many wonderful tidbits. Some of the letters are rich with humor and love. Many of the stories that come through are suspenseful. Because it is all from documents it can be frustrating at times as some "story lines" you are following get dropped. In general it is an interesting read. If you are looking into this book as a genealogical text it is exceptional.

This is an account of the fortunes of a newly-prosperous family, who had made their fortunes as lawyers, drawn from an unusually complete collection of their correspondence. The correspondence deals with many matters of money and litigation. They were not unusually litigious for their times; it was just a difficult century. Several letter-writers emphasized that it was necessary to be well-versed in law, besides having powerful friends, in order to protect one's fortune.

It sounds like it was a wild time to be a lawyer: not that there weren't legal procedures in place, but the problem was enforcing them. Wills, contracts, judgments, and arbitrations could stipulate money to be paid and actions to be taken, but whether these were carried out was quite another matter. Standard procedure when disputing possession of a manor was for the party who was stronger in arms to forcibly take over the place, while litigation was ongoing. And securing judgments in the courts depended very heavily on alliances and money, with bribes flowing freely and machinations to get the disposal of one's affairs in the hands of someone well-inclined.

Another matter that receives some discussion is marriage negotiations and kinship relations. All these things are gone into just enough to elucidate the Pastons' affairs, as are historical and national matters that the Pastons played tangential roles in. We also get some information on how they spent their money, at least as far as clothes and luxury goods that they had to order sent up from London.

The introduction says, the letters "amount to a sort of nonfiction historical novel". I don't know if I can quite agree with that: although there are occasional striking details, the outline of events is too sketchy for a novel, and more importantly, the personalities of the people involved remain mostly unknown. The letter writers seem to have stuck to a brief, businesslike tone more often than not, though some individuals were chattier. It is difficult to keep track of the enormous number of people mentioned other than the few main members of the Paston family.

A more important criticism lies in the superficial nature of the narration. The Gieses are writers rather than research historians, and the second-hand nature of any analysis they quote shows through. There are many books about the Pastons, and I don't think this one is essential. Nonetheless, it's well and clearly written, and enjoyable to read.

The Amazon reviewer states that if the Pastons had supported the Earl of Oxford at Bosworth field they would have been ruined. The Earl of Oxford commanded the infantry on the winning side!!!! As a consequence of the victory at Bosworth he regained his estates and became the premier nobleman of England.

This book has a unique and interesting premise--a look into the daily lives of 15th century English men and women through their letters. However, the book is too fact-filled about very ordinary people and you may end up finding yourself skipping to the end.