Margaret Paston

Biography of Margaret Mautby Paston, 1422 - 1484.
by Karen Smyth

In 2019, a memorial stone was unveiled by Paston Footprints in a picturesque English churchyard to one of the most important figures in the history of women’s literature. More than five centuries after she passed away, people can now pause and remember this woman of letters.​ Mautby church, near Great Yarmouth, played host to the dedication ceremony, where the memorial dedicated to Margaret Paston was placed near to the site of her original medieval tomb (you can view this on the Mautby walk).

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Of all the Paston women, Margaret is perhaps the most formidable character who emerges from the sheaves of the Paston letters. Margaret Paston was born Margaret de Mauteby, the daughter of a locally important family that had connections all across eastern Norfolk. Daughter of John de Mauteby, she married John Paston I, an aspiring lawyer and landowner, in 1440. Like Agnes from the generation before her, Margaret combined the management of the Paston estates and managing family affairs. The couple had seven surviving children, and the family went on to become one of the most important and influential in East Anglian history.

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It was while her husband was (often) away at court in London, that Margaret fought his battles, both politically and practically. One such instance we see Margaret writing about in her letters was the siege of their property in Caister, when the Duke of Norfolk attempted to take the building by force. Her correspondence gives us insights into her managing of tenant rents and arranging produce for sale. We find that she lends and reads books, and keeps up with social and political news. She was clearly as ambitious as her husband, as when she was not seeking to protect her family's reputation, she was actively seeking to promote it, establishing her two eldest sons (both called John - a naming tradition after their godfathers) in positions of influence and where they could obtain advantageous information.

However, Margaret holds a key place in British history not so much for her actions, but for her letter writing skills. Filled with vivid expressions of resilience, ingenuity and fortitude, ​Margaret was the most prolific authors of the Paston Letters (with 104 extant letters). These letters, written or dictated by Margaret herself, deal with all aspects of the affairs of her growing family and navigate with diplomacy rebellions concerning local figures of note. Many of her letters now have iconic status amongst medieval historians offering, as they do, a first-hand insight into otherwise little known events that have escaped the wider written records from the period. It is Margaret’s own character and determination that has attracted interest as much as the events she relates. 

In 1448, Margaret and a few members of her household found themselves under virtual siege at their fortified manor house of Gresham, near Holt. Expecting to be attacked at any moment Margaret wrote to her husband John Paston, asking that he send immediate supplies to help defend their house. The now famous letter requests that he buy crossbows, ammunition for the crossbows, armour for their servants, pole-axes to defend themselves, and then adds a request that he also buy a pound of sugar and a pound of almonds – making it one of the most unusual shopping lists in British history.

When she wrote her will in 1482, Margaret stipulated that she was to be buried in the south aisle of Mautby church, where many of her ancestors had previously been laid to rest. She was generous in her gifts and also gave very clear instructions as to what her own tomb was to look like, and the heraldry that it would display (see the interpretation boards in Mautby Church we have installed for more details).

Sadly the south aisle of Mautby church was demolished in the eighteenth century, having fallen into disrepair, and Margaret’s tomb was lost with it. In 2022, the first insight as to a possible location saw light of day. This was thanks to exceptionally dry weather, which always helps with aerial photography when looking for patterns on the ground.  The Paston Footprints team quickly went into action and found the position of the now demolished south aisle showed up clearly. The redoubtable Margaret Paston was buried in this area.

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Margaret is the one Paston woman who has attracted some interest and attention before our Rebel Women campaign. Read another biography, on an external site, by Melissa Snell.

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On our sister site you can search for Margaret Paston in the letters database.