The Paston Family in the Fifteenth Century

Book excerpt: This is the third and final volume in the trilogy by Colin Richmond on the Paston family in the 15th century, completing the sequence which began with The First Phase and continued with Fastolf's Will. This volume deals with the later years of the century and those topics and themes which arise at that point in the family's history. The principal characters are John Paston II, his younger brother John Paston III, and their mother, Margaret Paston. Richmond deals with a variety of issues, some of which have arisen in previous volumes and attempts some judgements on the role of the English gentry in the later middle ages.