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God's Own Gentlewoman

The Life of Margaret Paston

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About this listen

The remarkable story of Margaret Paston, whose letters form the most extensive collection of personal writings by a medieval English woman.

Drawing on the largest archive of medieval correspondence relating to a single family in the UK, God's Own Gentlewoman explores what everyday life was like during the turbulent decades at the height of the Wars of the Roses. Covering topics including political conflicts and familial in-fighting; forbidden love affairs and clandestine marriages; bloody battles and sieges; fear of plague and sudden death; friendships and animosity; and childbirth and child mortality, Margaret's letters provide us with unparalleled insight into all aspects of life in late medieval England.

Diane Watt is a world expert on medieval women's writing, and God's Own Gentlewoman explores how Margaret's personal archive provides an insight into her activities, experiences, emotions and relationships, as well as the life of a medieval woman who was at times absorbed by the mundane and domestic, but who found herself caught up in the most extraordinary situations and events.

©2024 Diane Watt (P)2024 W. F. Howes Ltd Europe Great Britain Letters & Correspondence Medieval Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence Women Middle Ages
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I enjoyed this recording of a book I had already read. Several things became more apparent to me on listening to it rather than reading it. It was well narrated but there were many mispronunciations of place names etc which could have been avoided if someone on the production team had visited or spoken to a native of Norfolk.

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I had read about the Paston letters in other histories so was delighted to be able to learn more about this family who kept cropping up. I listened to the book in two days, so engrossed I became. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the period, or in the histories of women in general.

A fascinating insight into the lives of late medieval women.

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