Paston Family Letters

Page 1 of 7

• 1. The Pastons: Who were they?
• 2. Meet the family
• 3. Younger and elder
• 4. Caister Castle
• 5. Loss of the prize: Paston letters on Caister Castle
• 6. King of the castle: Paston letters on Caister Castle
• 7. Find out more
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The Pastons: Who were they?

The story of the Pastons is a fascinating and compelling tale of a family on the make in the wake of the Black Death. They show first-hand testimony of the social benefits the plague brought to the peasantry, the chaotic effects of the Wars of the Roses on the general populace and the individual impact that the Black Death could have on a family.

'There was never a Paston poor, a Heydon a coward or a Cornwallis a fool.'

Their story is one of visionary gamblers willing to stake all on massive throws of the dice, and to fight for what they win with the tenaciousness of terriers, be it against the carping villagers of their home manor or the overweening power of the local lord. Many of the properties they lived in still survive, as do the institutions of which they became benefactors. In fact, from humble peasant beginnings, their impact on the county became so great that even today, there is an old Norfolk saying: 'There was never a Paston poor, a Heydon a coward or a Cornwallis a fool'.

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Published: 2001-01-01