Paston Letters and Papers of the Fifteenth Century
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Wickham Court and the Heydons Gregory
http://kentarchaeology.org.uk/research/archaeologia-cantiana/ Kent Archaeological Society is a registered charity number 223382 © 2017 Kent Archaeological Society glrcirecoingia Iantinna WICKHAM COURT AND THE HEYDONS By MOTHER MARY GREGORY, L.M., M.A.OxoN. Lecturer in History, Coloma Training College, Wickham Court THE manor of West Wickham in Kent came into the hands of the Heydon family of Baconsthorpe, Norfolk, in the latter years of the fifteenth century. The Heydons, a family which could be classed among the lesser gentry in the earlier part of the century, were in the ascendant in the social scale. The accumulation of manors was a sign of prosperity, and many hitherto obscure families were climbing into prominence by converting the wealth they had obtained through lucrative legal posts into real estate. The story of the purchase of West Wickham by the Heydons and of its sale by them just over a century later provides a useful example of the varying fortunes of a family of the gentry at this date, for less is known about the gentry as a class than of the nobility. John Heydon had prospered as a private lawyer, and his son Henry was the first of the family to be knighted. Henry's father made a good match for him, marrying him into the house of Boleyn, or Bullen, a family which was advancing even more rapidly to prominence. The lady chosen was a daughter of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer who, in 1457, was elected Lord Mayor of London. Sir Geoffrey's grandson married Elizabeth Howard, a daughter of the Duke of Norfolk; his great-granddaughter, Henry Heydon's great-niece, was to be queen of England. -
Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 54S1 (2019): 287–314 Doi: 10.2478/Stap-2019-0014
Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 54s1 (2019): 287–314 doi: 10.2478/stap-2019-0014 TRACING PATTERNS OF INTRA-SPEAKER VARIATION IN EARLY ENGLISH CORRESPONDENCE: A CHANGE FROM ABOVE IN THE PASTON LETTERS* JUAN M. HERNÁNDEZ-CAMPOY, J. CAMILO CONDE-SILVESTRE AND TAMARA GARCÍA-VIDAL1 ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of social and context factors on the diffusion of a linguistic change from above, namely the deployment of the spelling innovation <th> in fifteenth- century English, and especially in some letters from the well-known Paston collection of correspondence. We particularly focus on the socio-stylistic route of this change from above, observing the sociolinguistic behaviour of some letter writers (members of the Paston family) in connection with the social-professional status of their recipients, the interpersonal relationship with them, as well as the contexts and styles of the letters. In this way, different dimensions of this change from above in progress in fifteenth-century English can be reconstructed. Keywords: Historical sociolinguistics; sociolinguistic styles; change from above; history of English spelling; late Middle English; Paston Letters. 1. Theoretical background After three decades of continuous research, historical sociolinguistics is now a well-established discipline with a methodology that has allowed researchers to trace new dimensions of historically attested changes along the social and linguistic dimensions, as well as to test some widely-accepted sociolinguistic tenets or ‘universals’: the curvilinear hypothesis, overt-covert prestige patterns, * Financial support for this research has been crucially provided by the DGICT of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FFI2014-56084-P) and by Fundación Séneca, the Murcian Agency for Science and Technology (19331-PHCS-14 and 20585-EE-18). -
After Agincourt
After Agincourt After Agincourt William Worcester’s Lost Journal edited by Stephen Cooper 1 After Agincourt Copyright Stephen Cooper, 2013 The right of Stephen Cooper to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 2 After Agincourt For William 3 After Agincourt Contents Editor’s Preface Sir John Fastolf’s accompt of the burning of John Badby, 1410 I September, 1444 II October III November IV December V January, 1445 VI February VII March VIII April IX May X June XI July XII August 4 After Agincourt Editor’s Preface This Journal, which I have entitled After Agincourt, was written by William Worcester over a period of twelve months in 1444-5. It describes a very different country from the one we inhabit today. The Kingdom of England was surrounded by enemies. The Welsh were a subject people, but one which had come within an ace of throwing off English rule only thirty years before. The Scots were inveterate enemies, universally hated in England, especially in the northern counties. The French were a constant threat, much more populous and powerful than the English, and quite determined to reclaim the territories which the King of England still held on to, in Aquitaine and Normandy. Henry V’s startling victory at Agincourt in 1415 seemed like a distant memory three decades later. Superficially, there were many similarities between the England of 1444 and the England of 2014. We had a monarch and a bi-cameral Parliament then, and London dominated the life of the nation financially and politically, while most of the wealth was in the South-East. -
I1 ENGLISH RURAL LIFE in the FIFTEENTH CENTURY ISTORY Sometimes Has Scattered Poppy Without Merit
I1 ENGLISH RURAL LIFE IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY ISTORY sometimes has scattered poppy without merit. H We know little of many who were once great in the earth, and still less of the life of the people in their times. The life of the past must be visualized by piecing together detached and scattered fragments from many sources. The result is a composite picture, not a portrait. It is only now and then that the student of history is able to penetrate be- hind the veil of obscurity and get glimpses of intimate per- sonal life and learn to know the men and women of the past with some degree of acquaintance. A rare opportunity to know English provincial life in the fifteenth century is afforded in that wonderful collection known as “The Paston Letters.” This familiar correspond- ence of a Norfolk family, whose position was that of small gentry, covers three generations in some of the most stirring years of English history. It was the age when England’s empire in France was wrested from her by Joan of Arc; the age when the white rose of York and the red rose of Lan- caster were dyed a common color on the battlefields of Barnet, Towton, Wakefield Heath, and Bosworth Field. It was the century of W’arwick the kingmaker, and Henry Tudor ; of Sir Thomas More’s birth and of Caxton’s “Game of Chess.” The intense human interest of these letters has command- ed the admiration of readers ever since John Fenn edited 116 Rural Life in XV Century England 117 them, or those then known, in 1787. -
Abstract the Paston Women and Gentry Culture: The
ABSTRACT THE PASTON WOMEN AND GENTRY CULTURE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL IDENTITY IN FIFTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND This gender and social history examines the role of the Paston family in the developing gentry culture in fifteenth-century England. A family who desired to increase their social standing, the Pastons worked to first obtain land and wealth in order to become a part of the gentry. This study primarily examines the second way that the Pastons proved their gentility; through exhibiting behavior associated with the gentry, the Pastons proved to the public that they were above the peasantry and that they belonged in the upper echelons of society. In their quest for gentility, the behavior of the Paston women was particularly important to the efforts of their family. This thesis focuses on the ways that Agnes and Margaret Paston adopted the advice present in contemporary conduct manuals and how they incorporated such behavior into their letters. By presenting an image of gentility in their letters, Agnes and Margaret participated in both the developing gentry culture in fifteenth-century England and in their family’s efforts to increase their social status. Letter writing was a venue through which medieval women could express their opinions, and in the case of the Paston women, it was a way for them to directly impact the station of their family. The exercise of gentility in which the Paston women participated demonstrates one way the creation of an individual identity impacts both social status and group formation in -
Articulations of Masculinity in the Paston Correspondence
"He Ys A Swyre of WorchypM: Articulations of Masculinity In The Paston Correspondence by Andrew C. Hall A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research through the Department of History in Partial Fulfilrnent of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 1997 copyright 1997 Andrew C. Hall National Library BiiTnationale du Cana Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Se ~ices senrices bibliographiques 395 WMiStreet 395. nie Wellington Oltawa ON K1A ON4 OttawaûN K1AONQ Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence dowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seli reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in bis thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract This thesis examines the gendered experience of the fifteenth-century provincial gentleman through the letters of the Paston farrdly. On the whole, the men of the gentry did not consciously ponder their identities as men. However, in their articulations of daily social concerns, these men often engaged in discussions about masculinity and male sexuality. -
The Expenses of Thomas Playter of Sotterley, 1459
THE EXPENSES OF THOMAS PLAYTER OF SOTTERLEY, 1459 - 60 by COLINRICHMOND,B.A.,D.PHIL.,F.R.HIST.S. THOMASPLAYTERWASSirJohn Fastolfs chief legal adviser' and after Fastolf s death on 5 November 1459was retained by his late master's executorsJohn Paston and Thomas Howes. For Playter the period 1459—60, as shown by the bill of expenses printed below,' was thus a particularly busy one. There was much to be done. What mattered most was not routine business such as embracery, but the discussions and working dinners with Master John Stokes, William Wayneflete the Chancellor, John Lord Beauchamp of Powick, William Yelverton, William Jenny, doctors of law and other lawyers, and even (as his 'conceytes' needed urgently to be discovered) William Worcester, Fastolfs secretary and workhorse in general.' The subject of these conversations was, briefly, that version of Fastolfs will, dated 3 November, which John Paston maintained truly reflected the childless old man's last wishes concerning the disposition of his lands after his death. Others, however, were less certain of the authenticity of this nuncupative will, for it varied greatly from earlier versions, most significantly in leaving all the extensive East Anglian properties, including the great house at Caister,4 to Paston himself, and reducing the number of executors from ten to two, of whom one, Thomas Howes, was Fastolfs former chaplain, and the other, John Paston, a principal beneficiary. Too much was at stake for the excluded executors, who included Stokes, Wayneflete, Beauchamp, Yelverton and Worcester, to accept from Paston a document which offered him all that he could desire and gave him the means to obtain it. -
Anatomy of Riches SIR ROBERT PASTON’S TREASURE
The AnAtomY of RIches SIR ROBERT PASTON’S TREASURE Spike Bucklow reaktion books To Tara, Ella and Izzy Published by Reaktion Books Ltd Unit 32, Waterside 44–48 Wharf Rd London n1 7ux, uk www.reaktionbooks.co.uk First published 2018 Copyright © Spike Bucklow 2018 All rights reserved Supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Additional support from the Marc Fitch Fund No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers Printed and bound in China by 1010 Printing International Ltd A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library isbn 978 1 78023 979 8 Contents Prologue 9 one Ancestors 15 The Peasants’ Revolt – Norfolk’s insurrection – Judge William Paston – the Paston letters – John Paston – John Amend-All – Sir John Fastolf – the Wars of the Roses – Margaret Paston – Margery and Richard Calle – the Tudors – Clement Paston – William and Katherine Paston two Growing Up 37 Oxnead, Norfolk – the Court of Charles i – Westminster School – civil war – the Cavalier winter – Trinity College, Cambridge – Robert Paston’s gap year – the body politic – the execution of Charles i – the weather – Oliver Cromwell’s death – the coronation of Charles ii – Cromwell’s head three Going Home 61 Robert and Rebecca Paston – the Restoration – the moon’s ‘strange spottedness’ – infant mortality – music – the Plague – the Fire – London – shot by -
To What Extent and How Did the Instability of Henry VI's Kingship
To what extent and how did the instability of Henry VI’s kingship, culminating in civil war, affect the Paston and Stonor families between 1422-1483? Item Type Thesis or dissertation Authors O'Driscoll, Lilly Publisher University of Chester Download date 25/09/2021 21:06:20 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10034/552497 This work has been submitted to ChesterRep – the University of Chester’s online research repository http://chesterrep.openrepository.com Author(s): Lilly O’Driscoll Title: To what extent and how did the instability of Henry VI’s kingship, culminating in civil war, affect the Paston and Stonor families between 1422-1483? Date: 2014 Originally published as: University of Chester MA dissertation Example citation: O’Driscoll, L. (2014). To what extent and how did the instability of Henry VI’s kingship, culminating in civil war, affect the Paston and Stonor families between 1422-1483? (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Chester, United Kingdom. Version of item: Submitted version Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10034/552497 University of Chester To what extent and how did the instability of Henry VI’s kingship, culminating in civil war, affect the Paston and Stonor families between 1422-1483? Lilly O’Driscoll HI7 306 2013-2014 Word Count: 16,227 1 Contents Page Page Number 1) Introduction 3-14 2) Chapter One: 15- 23 3) Chapter Two: 24-42 4) Chapter Three: 43-49 5) Chapter Four: 50-56 6) Conclusion 58-60 7) Bibliography 61-66 2 This work has been submitted to ChesterRep – the University of Chester’s online research repository http://chesterrep.openrepository.com Author(s): Lilly O’Driscoll Title: To what extent and how did the instability of Henry VI’s kingship, culminating in civil war, affect the Paston and Stonor families between 1422-1483? Date: 2014 Originally published as: University of Chester MA dissertation Example citation: O’Driscoll, L. -
The Lady of the House
Osborne 1 Noctua: Medieval and Renaissance Studies at The W Volume 1 Spring, 2016 Editor: Elizabeth Varvel Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kristi DiClemente Osborne 2 The Lady of the House Katy Osborne Women in the Middle Ages had very distinct responsibilities. However, those of a higher status often had more autonomy, especially in the case of their husbands’ absences. These women were expected to take care of their everyday duties as well as those of their absent husbands. In the case of Margaret Paston, the daughter of John Mautby and wife of John Paston, she endured the absence of her husband throughout the majority of their marriage. Margaret often dealt with very important men of the community, her children, her extended family, and her neighbors on issues that were thought to be much more suited for a man. The letters written between Margaret and John Paston show the abundance of responsibilities placed on a woman in her husband’s absence. Margaret was responsible for her duties, such as caring for her children and the household, but she was also responsible for the large estate and many tenants that John acquired. Marriage between noblemen and women was often a political tool, and often was motivated by social improvement and economic gain. Parents arranged the marriages of their children largely to benefit the status and position of their family.1 John Paston, son of William Paston, a well-to-do lawyer, was an undergraduate at Peterhouse in Cambridge when his father arranged his marriage to Margaret Mautby, who was the sole heir to her father’s wealth. -
The Pastons and Their Norfolk by R H BRITNELL Abstract the Paston Letters Have Two Distinctive Features As Sources of Agricultural History
The Pastons And Their Norfolk By R H BRITNELL Abstract The Paston Letters have two distinctive features as sources of agricultural history. On the one hand they illustrate exceptionally well some organizational features of estate management on a smallish estate, notably the absence of closely structured specialization amongst estate officers and the personal involvement of members of the family in minor,matters. At the same time the letters demonstrate the problems of estate management in one of England s most commercialized regions during the I46os and r47os, and they suggest that the x46os in particular were a period of agrarian depression in Norfolk. The combined effect of these observations is to show how even as a rentier family the Pastons were intimately involved in the commercial dilemmas and social conflicts arising from crisis management. I OURCES for the agrarian history of problems of estate administration, and the fifteenth century, when landlords their personal nature means that it is often i large and small usually leased out their possible to gauge the frame of mind in S :[ demesne lands,' are for the most part which particular decisions were taken. laconic. With few exceptions estate They come, too, from a poorly recorded accoufits and valors lack the current infor- level of landed society. It would be a pity mation about the commercial enviromnent if their evidence were to be ignored because needed for explaining management in of its unusualness..~ action. Fluctuations in rents and arrears of The letters are interesting for another rent make poor indicators of either eco- reason. It so happens that the interests of nomic change or administrative policy, so the main branch of the Paston family were that it is difficult to identify the problems chiefly in eastern and north-eastern Nor- confronting estate officials or to evaluate folk, the most fertile and commercially their performance. -
The Social Diffusion of Linguistic Innovations in Fifteenth Century England: Chancery Spellings in Private Correspondence*
The Social Diffusion of Linguistic Innovations in Fifteenth Century England: Chancery Spellings in Private Correspondence* JIJA N MANIJEL HERNANDEZ-CAMPOY and JUAN CAMILO CONDE-SIL VESTRE Departamento de Filología Inglesa Facultad de Letras Campus de La Merced Universidad de Murcia 30071 Murcia (Spain) [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT The aim ofthispaper ir to apply the conclusions oj'recent sociolinguistic studies on the spread of innovations to the Iiistorical inzplemeritation of standard English. In particular, we belieiv thnt the attenpts by Jarnes and Lesley Milroy at correlatirig standardisation, prestige norm focusirig arld the upii!ard social aspiratioris of sotne speakers ivitiz the analytic tool of 'social rier14~orks'niny yield fruitful n)nclusions ns regards rhe social diffusion qf rhe Cizancen standard in the 1atejiPeentIi centuy. In view of rhe IJniformitarian Principie formulated @ Labov, we believe rhat historical stnges of language developmerir were possib(v subject to constrnints similar to tizose afecting conremporac speech communities, to the exterir that the liriguisric behnviour of latejifteenrh centup spenkers may have beeri determined by nrrirudes to presrige, by social arid spatial mobilie as ~~ellas by rhe everydq corztacts nnd the personal circumstances of individuals. Ifthis is so, the projile of those members of rhe comrnuriily who adopted arzd transmitred the Chancen nortn in rlze period may be reconstructed. With rliis purpose in niind Irle interid to trace n number of inrinbles related to Chancen usage in rhe sections of 1areJjieenth centun priinte correspondence included in the diacizronic pnrt of rhe Helsinki Corpus of English Texts. The referetices to social (sex, age, social status), geographical (dialect) pararnerers, ns well ns to Qpe of interaction appended ro each text in rhe Corpus will help us ro drairi a picture of the speakers who innoivaredand dljilsed the newl nortn at that time.