Norman Davis MBE FBA (16 May 1913 – 2 December 1989) was a New Zealand-born professor of English language and literature at the University of Oxford .
80-728: The Paston Letters is a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family of Norfolk gentry and others connected with them in England between the years 1422 and 1509. The collection also includes state papers and other important documents. The letters are a noted primary source for information about life in England during the Wars of the Roses and the early Tudor period . They are also of interest to linguists and historians of
160-527: A Gross Domestic Product of £ 9,319 million, which represents 1.5% of England's economy and 1.25% of the United Kingdom's economy. The GDP per head was £11,825, compared to £13,635 for East Anglia, £12,845 for England and £12,438 for the United Kingdom. In 1999–2000 the county had an unemployment rate of 5.6%, compared to 5.8% for England and 6.0% for the UK. Data from 2017 provided a useful update on
240-572: A saffron grower. Over 20% of employment in the county is in the agricultural and food industries. Well-known companies in Norfolk are Aviva (formerly Norwich Union ), Colman's (part of Unilever ), Lotus Cars and Bernard Matthews Farms . The Construction Industry Training Board is based on the former airfield of RAF Bircham Newton . Brewer Greene King, food producer Cranswick and feed supplier ForFarmers [ nl ] were seeing growth in 2016–2017. A local enterprise partnership
320-455: A be ashamed to say to me as he said". Particularly remarkable is the habitual acquaintance of educated persons, both men and women, with the law, which was evidently indispensable to persons of substance. Of most interest, however, are the occasional love letters, notably those from Richard Calle to Margery Paston, and Margery Brews' famous Valentines to John Paston III. In 2019 a small brass memorial plaque, 25 by 8 cm (9 by 3 inches),
400-449: A college at Caister . However, two days before his death, according to John Paston , Fastolf made a nuncupative (spoken) will in which he bequeathed all his lands in Norfolk and Suffolk to Paston, for a payment of 4,000 marks and the duty of founding the college at Caister . Taking possession of the lands, Paston's claims were challenged: several noblemen claimed the estates. The excluded executors litigated, and Paston fell under
480-611: A fifth generation crabman, who sells Cromer Crabs to eateries such as M Restaurants and the Blueprint Café. The problem that he has found is attracting young people to this small industry which calls for working many hours per week during the season. Lobster trapping also continued in North Norfolk, around Sheringham and Cromer , for example. Norfolk's low-lying land and easily eroded cliffs, many of which are composed of chalk and clay, make it vulnerable to weathering by
560-406: A fifth volume for publication, which was posthumously published in 1823 by his nephew William Frere. In 1787 Fenn presented the originals of his first two volumes to King George III , who knighted Fenn on 23 May 1787. Shortly thereafter, the manuscripts for all five volumes disappeared , casting doubt on the authenticity of the letters. In 1865 their authenticity was questioned by Herman Merivale in
640-562: A natural daughter of Charles II , was the second earl, and, like his father, was in high favour with the Stuarts . When he died in 1732 he left no son, and his titles became extinct, his estates being sold to discharge his debts. The disorder revealed by the Paston Letters reflects the general condition of England during this period. The weakness of the government left every branch of the administration disorganized. The succession to
720-562: A new introduction. The Paston Letters 1422–1509 AD: A New Edition First Published in 1874 Containing Upwards of Four Hundred Letters, Etc., Hitherto Unpublished. Edited by James Gairdner of the Public Record Office Paston Letters 1422–1509 AD: A Reprint of the Edition of 1872–5 which Contained upwards of Five Hundred Letters, etc., till then Unpublished to Which are now Added Others in a Supplement after
800-580: A position he held until his retirement in 1980. According to McNeish,"... he liked to say that his achievement was that he "added a letter to the Bulgarian alphabet", but his monument is the great edition of the Paston Letters , "a text throwing light on the attitudes of a 15th-century English family in Norfolk on the make." Davis died in Oxford on 2 December 1989. Practically his entire estate
880-406: A survey of the reign of King Henry VI . Before he had published all the volumes of his edition, some letters that he had written about were discovered in 1875 at Roydon . These unpublished letters were added as a supplement to a subsequent three-volume edition published in 1896. In 1904 Gairdner edited a complete edition of the Paston Letters in six volumes, containing 1,088 letters and papers with
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#1732772056900960-455: A yeoman farmer, who was joined by recruits from Norwich and the surrounding countryside. His group numbered some 16,000 by the time the rebels stormed Norwich on 29 July 1549 and took the city. Kett's rebellion ended on 27 August when the rebels were defeated by an army under the leadership of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland at the Battle of Dussindale. Some 3,000 rebels were killed. Kett
1040-543: Is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia . It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, and Suffolk to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Norwich . The county has an area of 2,074 sq mi (5,370 km ) and a population of 859,400. It is largely rural with few large towns: after Norwich (147,895),
1120-537: Is administered by Norfolk County Council, which is the top tier local government authority, based at County Hall in Norwich. For details of the authority click on the link Norfolk County Council . Below Norfolk County Council the county is divided into seven second tier district councils: Breckland District , Broadland District , Great Yarmouth Borough , King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough , North Norfolk District , Norwich City and South Norfolk District . Below
1200-618: Is controlled by the Labour Party and North Norfolk District by the Liberal Democrats . Norfolk County Council has been under Conservative control since 2017. There have been two periods when the council has not been run by the Conservative Party, both when no party had overall control, these were 1993–2001 and 2013–2017. For the full County Council election results for 2017 and previous elections click on
1280-518: Is described as a "right cunning man" in the law, attained an influential position in his profession, and in 1429 became a Justice of the Common Pleas . He bought a good deal of land in Norfolk, including property in Paston and Gresham Castle , and improved his social position by his marriage with Agnes Barry (d.1479), the daughter and coheir of Sir Edmund Barry or Berry of Horwellbury, near Therfield and Royston, Hertfordshire . Agnes emerges from
1360-515: Is mentioned in his mother's will. About this time the Letters become scanty and less interesting, but the family continued to flourish. The younger John Paston (d. 1504), after quarrelling with his uncle William over the manors of Oxnead and Marlingford , was knighted at the Battle of Stoke in 1487. He married Margery, daughter of Sir Thomas Brewes, and left a son, William Paston (c. 1479–1554), who
1440-492: Is served by these local newspapers: Before 2011, Norfolk had a completely comprehensive state education or "maintained" system managed by Norfolk County Council , with secondary school age from 11 to 16 or in some schools with sixth forms , 18 years old. Since then, a number of schools formerly in the "maintained" system have left it to become academies , or members of academy groups. Others have become free schools . Both academies and free schools are still publicly funded by
1520-507: The Fortnightly Review , but James Gairdner countered that they were genuine in the same periodical. Within a year, Gairdner was proven right by the discovery of the originals of the fifth volume, together with other letters and papers, by Frere's son, Philip Frere, in his house at Dungate . Ten years later the originals of Fenn's third and fourth volumes, with ninety-five unpublished letters, were found at Roydon Hall, Norfolk ,
1600-473: The Battle of Barnet . Meanwhile, the struggle over Paston's estates continued, although in 1461 the king and council had declared that Paston's ancestors were not bondmen, and consequently that his title to his father's lands was valid. Caister Castle was taken after a siege by John Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1444–1476), and then recovered by the Pastons, and retaken by the duke. But in 1474 an arrangement
1680-631: The British Library , but some are in the Bodleian Library , Oxford at Magdalen College , with a few at Pembroke College, Cambridge . Fenn's edition of the Paston Letters was considered definitive until 1872, when James Gairdner published the first volume of a new edition. Taking Fenn's work as a basis, Gairdner ultimately published over four hundred previously unpublished letters in three volumes. Gairdner's edition included notes and an index, and introductions to each volume containing
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#17327720569001760-476: The Conservative Party win the 2010 general election , they would reverse the decision. Following the 2010 general election , Eric Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 12 May 2010 in a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government . According to press reports, he instructed his department to take urgent steps to reverse the decision and maintain
1840-530: The English language , being written during the Great Vowel Shift , and documenting the transition from Late Middle English to Early Modern English . The large collection of letters and papers was acquired in 1735 from the executors of the estate of William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth , the last in the Paston line, by the antiquary Francis Blomefield . On Blomefield's death in 1752 they came into
1920-465: The High Court , and on 21 June 2010 the court ( Mr. Justice Ouseley , judge) ruled it unlawful, and revoked it. The city has therefore failed to attain unitary status, and the two-tier arrangement of County and District Councils (with Norwich City Council counted among the latter) remains as of 2017. Norfolk's county town and only city is Norwich , one of the largest settlements in England during
2000-542: The Norman era . Norwich is home to the University of East Anglia , and is the county's main business and culture centre. Other principal towns include the port town of King's Lynn and the seaside resort and Broads gateway town of Great Yarmouth . Norman Davis (academic) Davis was born in 1913 at Dunedin , New Zealand. He received his education at Otago Boys' High School and the University of Otago , where he
2080-873: The Second World War broke out, he was recruited by the Special Operations Executive and became Assistant Press Attaché at the British Legation in Sofia. In 1941, he warned the British ambassador in Sofia, George William Rendel , of Bulgaria's imminent admission to the Axis . He smuggled the leader of the Bulgarian resistance, G. M. Dimitrov , out of Bulgaria to the safety of the British Legation in Turkey (January–February 1941). Davis
2160-854: The Tacolneston TV transmitter. However, northwestern parts of Norfolk including King's Lynn , Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea are covered by BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire , broadcasting from Hull , and ITV Yorkshire , which broadcast from Leeds . The area receives its television signals from the Belmont TV transmitter. BBC Local Radio for the county is served by BBC Radio Norfolk . County-wide commercial radio stations are Heart East , Greatest Hits Radio East , Amber Radio , and Kiss . Community based stations are Future Radio (serving Norwich), Harbour Radio (for Great Yarmouth ), KL1 Radio (covering North West Norfolk ) and Poppyland Community Radio (serving North Norfolk ). Norfolk
2240-479: The enclosure of land. The county was not heavily industrialised during the Industrial Revolution , and Norwich lost its status as one of England's largest cities. The contemporary economy is largely based on agriculture and tourism. The area that was to become Norfolk was settled in pre-Roman times (there were Palaeolithic settlers as early as 950,000 years ago), with camps along the higher land in
2320-487: The 2017 General Election the 2015 result was repeated. In the 2024 General Election, Norfolk became the only county in the United Kingdom to be represented by MPs from five different parties. In October 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government produced a Local Government White Paper inviting councils to submit proposals for unitary restructuring. In January 2007 Norwich submitted its proposal, but this
2400-671: The Boundary Committee recommended a single unitary authority covering all of Norfolk, including Norwich. However, on 10 February 2010, it was announced that, contrary to the December 2009 recommendation of the Boundary Committee, Norwich would be given separate unitary status. The proposed change was strongly resisted, principally by Norfolk County Council and the Conservative opposition in Parliament. Reacting to
2480-654: The Department of Education but are not with county council management. In many of the rural areas, there is no nearby sixth form, and so sixth form colleges are found in larger towns. There are twelve private , or private schools, including Gresham's School in Holt in the north of the county, Thetford Grammar School in Thetford , which is Britain's fifth oldest extant school , Langley School in Loddon , and several in
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2560-729: The Introduction. Edited by James Gairdner of the Public Record Office The Paston Letters AD 1422–1509: New Complete Library Edition, Edited with Notes and an Introduction by James Gairdner of the Public Record Office In 1971, Norman Davis published a new edition, which was revised and expanded by Richard Beadle and Colin Richmond in 2004. In 2004, Diane Watt published The Paston Women: Selected Letters , which situates
2640-527: The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce made this comment: "At a time when Norfolk firms face steep up-front costs, the apprenticeship system is in crisis, roads are being allowed to crumble, mobile phone and broadband 'not-spots' are multiplying, it's obvious that the key to improved productivity and competitiveness lies in getting the basics right". The solution was seen as a need for the UK government to provide "a far stronger domestic economic agenda ... to fix
2720-564: The announcement, Norfolk County Council issued a statement that it would seek leave to challenge the decision in the courts. A letter was leaked to the local media in which the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Communities and Local Government noted that the decision did not meet all the criteria and that the risk of it "being successfully challenged in judicial review proceedings is very high". The Shadow Local Government and Planning Minister, Bob Neill , stated that should
2800-602: The city centre, next to the River Wensum . The City College Norwich and the College of West Anglia are colleges covering Norwich and King's Lynn as well as Norfolk as a whole. Easton & Otley College , 7 mi (11 km) west of Norwich, provides agriculture-based courses for the county, parts of Suffolk , and nationally. The University of Suffolk also runs higher education courses in Norfolk, from multiple locations including Great Yarmouth College . Norfolk
2880-467: The city of Norwich, including Norwich School and Norwich High School for Girls . The King's Lynn district has the largest school population. Norfolk is also home to Wymondham College , the UK's largest remaining state boarding school . The University of East Anglia is located on the outskirts of Norwich, and Norwich University of the Arts is based in seven buildings in and around St George's Street in
2960-504: The county's economy. The median hourly gross pay was £12.17 and the median weekly pay was £496.80; on a per year basis, the median gross income was £25,458. The employment rate among persons aged 16 to 64 was 74.2% while the unemployment rate was 4.6%. The Norfolk economy was "treading water with manufacturing sales and recruitment remaining static in the first quarter of the year" according to research published in April 2018. A spokesperson for
3040-548: The crown itself was contested. Nobility fought a civil war. The prevailing discontent led to the rising of Jack Cade and of the Wars of the Roses . The correspondence reveals the Pastons in a variety of relations to their neighbours – both friendly and hostile. It abounds with illustrations of public events, as well as of the manners and morals of the time, and some valuable examples of colloquial English, such as Agnes Paston's quarrel with her neighbour, Warren Harman, c.1451, where she told him "if his father had do as he did he would
3120-520: The family about whom anything is known is Clement Paston (d.1419), a yeoman holding and cultivating about one hundred acres (40 hectares) of land. His wife, Beatrice Somerton (d.1409), is said to have been 'a bond woman', but her brother, Geoffrey Somerton (d.1416), became a lawyer, and it was Geoffrey who paid for the education, both at grammar school and at the Inns of Court , of his nephew, William Paston (1378–1444), son of Clement and Beatrice. William, who
3200-650: The fundamentals needed for business to thrive here..." In 2017, tourism was adding £3.25 billion to the economy per year and supported some 65,000 jobs, being the fifth most important employment in Norfolk. The visitor economy had increased in value by more than £500 million since 2012. Important business sectors also include energy (oil, gas and renewables), advanced engineering and manufacturing, and food and farming. Much of Norfolk's fairly flat and fertile land has been drained for use as arable land . The principal arable crops are sugar beet , wheat, barley (for brewing) and oil seed rape . The county also boasts
3280-480: The greatest concentration in the world. The economy was in decline by the time of the Black Death , which dramatically reduced the population in 1349. Kett's Rebellion occurred in Norfolk during the reign of Edward VI , largely in response to the enclosure of land by landlords, leaving peasants with nowhere to graze their animals, and to the general abuses of power by the nobility. It was led by Robert Kett ,
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3360-887: The growth of the Royal Air Force and the influx of the American USAAF 8th Air Force which operated from many Norfolk airfields . The local British Army regiments included the Royal Norfolk Regiment (now the Royal Anglian Regiment ) and the Norfolk Yeomanry . During the Second World War agriculture rapidly intensified, and it has remained very intensive since, with the establishment of large fields for growing cereals and oilseed rape . In 1998 Norfolk had
3440-749: The homelands of the Iceni were vulnerable to attacks from continental Europe and other parts of Britain, and forts were built to defend against raids by the Saxons and the Picts . A period of depopulation, which may have been due to these threats, seems to have followed the departure of the Romans. Soon afterward, Germanic peoples from the North Sea area settled in the region. Though they became known as Angles , they were likely not affiliated to any tribe in particular at
3520-554: The impacts on the environment of various realignment options. The draft report of their research was leaked to the press, who created great anxiety by reporting that Natural England plan to abandon a large section of the Norfolk Broads, villages and farmland to the sea to save the rest of the Norfolk coastline from the impact of any adverse climate change . The county is covered by BBC East and ITV Anglia , which both broadcast from Norwich. Television signals are received from
3600-646: The king, Edmund the Martyr . Several place names around the Fenland area contain Celtic elements; this has been taken by some scholars to represent a possibly significant concentration of Britons in the area. In the centuries before the Norman Conquest the wetlands of the east of the county began to be converted to farmland, and settlements grew in these areas. Migration into East Anglia must have been high: by
3680-406: The kingdom of East Anglia (one of the heptarchy ), which later merged with Mercia and then with Wessex . The influence of the early English settlers can be seen in the many place names ending in "-ham", "-ingham" and "-ton". Endings such as "-by" and "-thorpe" are also fairly common, indicating Danish toponyms: in the 9th century the region again came under attack, this time from Danes who killed
3760-492: The largest settlements are King's Lynn (42,800) in the north-west, Great Yarmouth (38,693) in the east, and Thetford (24,340) in the south. For local government purposes Norfolk is a non-metropolitan county with seven districts. The west of Norfolk is part of the Fens , an extremely flat former marsh. The centre of the county is gently undulating lowland; its northern coast is an area of outstanding natural beauty , and in
3840-413: The letters as a difficult and quick-tempered woman, whose quarrels with the Paston villagers leave some valuable examples of colloquial English in the 1450s. She frequently quarrelled with her children. On his death, William left a large and valuable inheritance to John Paston , the eldest of his four sons, who was already married to Margaret (d. 1484), daughter of John Mautby of Mautby , Norfolk. England
3920-423: The letters in the context of medieval women's writing and medieval letter writing. Two recent books have presented the story of the fifteenth-century Pastons for a wider audience, A Medieval Family by Frances and Joseph Gies (1998) and Blood and Roses by Helen Castor (2004). The family of Paston takes its name from a Norfolk village about twenty miles (32 km) north of Norwich . The first member of
4000-446: The lifetimes of John Paston and his eldest son, also named John , are most numerous and provide the most insight, not only on their family matters but on the overall history of England. In 1448, Paston's manor of Gresham was seized by Robert Hungerford, Lord Moleyns (1431–1464), and, although it was afterwards recovered, the owner could obtain no redress for the loss and injury he had sustained. Moreover, Paston had become intimate with
4080-580: The link Norfolk County Council elections . The county is divided into ten parliamentary constituencies, with Waveney Valley straddling the border with Suffolk: In the 1945 United Kingdom general election , all seats in Norfolk were won by the Labour Party and the National Liberal Party . In the 2010 General Election seven seats were held by the Conservatives and two by the Liberal Democrats . The Labour Party no longer held
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#17327720569004160-476: The possession of Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Suffolk . On his death in 1771 some letters passed into the hands of John Ives, while many others were purchased by John Worth, a chemist at Diss , whose executors sold them in 1774 to Sir John Fenn of East Dereham . In 1787 John Fenn published a selection of the letters in two volumes, bringing general interest to the collection. Fenn published two further volumes of letters in 1789. Before he died in 1794 he prepared
4240-646: The rank of major, and in 1945 he was awarded an MBE . Davis resumed his university teaching as a lecturer in English language at Queen Mary College , University of London , in 1946, having proceeded to MA at Oxford in 1944. He was then appointed to a similar position at Oriel and Brasenose Colleges , Oxford, where he also lectured in Medieval English. From 1949 to 1959, he taught at Glasgow University . He then succeeded J. R. R. Tolkien as Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford,
4320-633: The region declined somewhat. During the Industrial Revolution Norfolk developed little industry, except in Norwich, which was a late addition to the railway network. Early military units included the Norfolk Militia . In the 20th century the county developed a role in aviation. The first development in airfields came with the First World War ; there was then a massive expansion during the Second World War with
4400-590: The region was home to the Iceni , whose leader Boudica led a major revolt in AD60. The Angles settled the area in the fifth century, and it became part of the Kingdom of East Anglia . During the later Middle Ages the county was very prosperous and heavily involved in the wool trade ; this allowed the construction of many large churches . In 1549 Norfolk was the scene of Kett's Rebellion , which unsuccessfully protested
4480-684: The sea. The most recent major erosion event occurred during the North Sea flood of 1953 . The low-lying section of coast between Kelling and Lowestoft Ness in Suffolk is currently managed by the British Environment Agency to protect the Broads from sea flooding. Management policy for the North Norfolk coastline is described in the "North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan" published in 2006, but has yet to be accepted by local authorities. The Shoreline Management Plan states that
4560-488: The seat of George Frere. Finally the originals of the two remaining volumes were rediscovered in 1889 at Orwell Park , Ipswich , in the residence of Captain E. G. Pretyman . The last letters to be found were the letters presented to George III; they may have reached Orwell through Sir George Pretyman Tomline , the tutor and friend of William Pitt the Younger . Most of the Paston letters and associated documents are now in
4640-443: The second tier councils the majority of the county is divided into parish and town councils, the lowest tier of local government (the only exceptions being parts of Norwich and King's Lynn urban areas). Currently the Conservative Party control five of the seven district councils: Breckland District , Broadland District , King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough , Great Yarmouth Borough and South Norfolk District while Norwich City
4720-518: The south is part of Thetford Forest . In the east are the Broads , a network of rivers and lakes which extend into Suffolk. The area is protected by the Broads Authority and has similar status to a national park . The geology of the county includes clay and chalk deposits, which make its coast susceptible to erosion. There is evidence of Prehistoric settlement in Norfolk. In the Roman era
4800-502: The status quo in line with the Conservative Party manifesto. However, the unitary plans were supported by the Liberal Democrat group on the city council, and by Simon Wright , LibDem MP for Norwich South , who intended to lobby the party leadership to allow the changes to go ahead. The Local Government Act 2010 to reverse the unitary decision for Norwich (and Exeter and Suffolk) received Royal Assent on 16 December 2010. The disputed award of unitary status had meanwhile been referred to
4880-413: The stretch of coast will be protected for at least another 50 years, but that in the event of sea level rise and post-glacial lowering of land levels in the South East, there may a need for further research to inform future management decisions, including the possibility that the sea defences may have to be realigned to a more sustainable position. Natural England have contributed some research into
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#17327720569004960-495: The threat of violence. A feud broke out between John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk , and the Pastons under Margaret and her eldest son, John, around Drayton and Hellesdon . Caister Castle was seized by John Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk , while similar occurrences took place at other estates. In 1460 and 1461, Paston returned to parliament as a knight of the shire for Norfolk, and, enjoying the favour of Edward IV , had regained his castle at Caister. He fell out of favour, however, and
5040-425: The time of the Domesday Book survey it was one of the most densely populated parts of the British Isles . During the high and late Middle Ages the county developed arable agriculture and woollen industries. Norfolk's prosperity at that time is evident from the county's large number of medieval churches: out of an original total of over one thousand some 659 have survived, more than in any other county in Britain and
5120-461: The time of their migration. It is thought that the settlement here was early (possibly beginning at the start of the fifth century, thereby preceding the alleged date of Hengist and Horsa 's arrival in Kent) and that it occurred on a large scale. By the 5th century the Angles had established control of the region and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk"; hence "Norfolk" and " Suffolk ". Norfolk, Suffolk and several adjacent areas became
5200-402: The urban constituencies they once held in Norwich North and Great Yarmouth, leaving them with no MP's in the whole of East Anglia ; the former Labour Home Secretary Charles Clarke was a high level casualty of that election. In the 2015 General Election seven seats were won by the Conservative Party , with Labour winning Norwich South and the Liberal Democrats winning North Norfolk. In
5280-446: The wealthy knight Sir John Fastolf , who was a kinsman of Paston's wife, Margaret, and who had employed him on several matters. At his death, Fastolf left his affairs in disorder. As was customary in his time, he left many of his estates in Norfolk and Suffolk to feoffees including Sir William Yelverton , John Paston and his brother William, retaining the revenues for himself. His written will tasked his ten executors with founding
5360-405: The west, where flints could be quarried. A Brittonic tribe, the Iceni , emerged in the 1st century BC . The Iceni revolted against the Roman invasion in AD 47, and again in 60 led by Boudica . The crushing of the second rebellion opened the area to the Romans. During the Roman era roads and ports were constructed throughout the area and farming was widespread. Situated on the east coast,
5440-401: Was a cultured man, was anxious to recover Caister, but he left the task to his mother and to the younger John. Owing to his carelessness and extravagance, the family lands were also diminished by sales, but nevertheless when he died unmarried in November 1479 he left a substantial inheritance to his younger brother John. Although he didn't marry he did have an illegitimate daughter, Constance, who
5520-530: Was also knighted, and who was a prominent figure at the court of Henry VIII . Sir William's second son, John Paston (1510–1575) was the father-in-law of Sir Edward Coke . Sir William's third son, Clement (c. 1515–1597), served his country with distinction on the sea, and was wounded at the Battle of Pinkie . The family was continued by Sir William's eldest son, Erasmus (b. 1502-d. 1540), whose son William succeeded to his grandfather's estates in 1554, and to those of his uncle Clement in 1597. This William (1528–1610)
5600-506: Was being established by business leaders to help grow jobs across Norfolk and Suffolk. They secured an enterprise zone to help grow businesses in the energy sector, and established the two counties as a centre for growing services and products for the green economy . To help local industry in Norwich, the local council offered a wireless internet service, but this was subsequently withdrawn as funding had ceased. The fishery business still continued in 2018, with individuals such as John Lee,
5680-459: Was captured, held in the Tower of London, tried for treason, and hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle. By the late 16th century Norwich had grown to become the second-largest city in England, but over one-third of its population died in the plague epidemic of 1579, and in 1665 the Great Plague again killed around one-third of the population. During the English Civil War Norfolk was largely Parliamentarian . The economy and agriculture of
5760-532: Was experiencing instability at this time; the nobles surrounding the king did not allow him sufficient power to govern, and much of England was effectively lawless. A lawyer like his father, John Paston spent much of his time in London, leaving his wife to look after his business in Norfolk, a task which Margaret, a sensible and competent woman, managed with considerable skill. Many of the letters were written by Margaret to her husband in London. The letters written during
5840-562: Was found hidden away between two large tombs in Oxnead church near Aylsham in Norfolk, with an inscription in Latin that translates as "Here lies Anna, daughter of John Paston Knight, on whose soul God have mercy, Amen". The style of the plaque dated it to between 1490 and 1510, and it is of a type used to memorialise a young girl. The discovery was a surprise, finding an unknown member of the "most researched family" of medieval England. The discovery
5920-567: Was imprisoned on three occasions. Paston died in May 1466, with the suit concerning Fastolf's will still proceeding in the church courts. John and Margaret Paston left five sons and two daughters. The eldest, Sir John Paston (1442–1479), had been knighted during his father's lifetime. He was frequently at the court of Edward IV , but afterwards favoured the Lancastrian party, and, with his younger brother, also named John, fought for Henry VI at
6000-555: Was knighted in 1578. He was the founder of the Paston Grammar School at North Walsham , and made Oxnead Hall, near Norwich, his principal residence. Christopher Paston was Sir William's son and heir, and Christopher's grandson, William (d. 1663), was created a baronet in 1642; being succeeded in the title by his son Robert (1631–1683), who was a member of parliament from 1661 to 1673, and was created Earl of Yarmouth in 1679. Robert's son William (1652–1732), who married
6080-631: Was made as part of the three-year Paston Footprints project, described as "an introduction and way in to the amazing hub of links, information, people and places which over six centuries have formed the web based on the Paston Letters". The letters were adapted by Australian writer Barbara Jefferis as a radio feature and novel Beloved Lady ; the novel was also serialised as a radio drama. The Paston Letters were Robert Louis Stevenson 's main source for The Black Arrow . Norfolk Norfolk ( / ˈ n ɔːr f ə k / NOR -fək )
6160-492: Was made with William Waynflete , Bishop of Winchester , the representative of the excluded executors, by which some of the estates were surrendered to the bishop for charitable purposes, while Paston was secured in the possession of others. Two years later the death of the Duke of Norfolk made the restoration of Caister Castle possible, but in 1478 a quarrel broke out with John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk . Sir John Paston, who
6240-580: Was rejected in December 2007 as it did not meet the criteria for acceptance. In February 2008, the Boundary Committee for England (from 1 April 2010 incorporated in the Local Government Boundary Commission for England ) was asked to consider alternative proposals for the whole or part of Norfolk, including whether Norwich should become a unitary authority , separate from Norfolk County Council. In December 2009,
6320-479: Was taught by Professor Herbert Ramsay . He was awarded a Rhodes scholarship to Merton College, Oxford , in 1934 and studied comparative philology. From 1937 to 1938, he lectured in English at the University of Kaunas in Lithuania, and then at the University of Sofia , Bulgaria, 1938–39. According to his biographer James McNeish , Davis was "undistinguished in appearance" and had a talent for mimicry. When
6400-529: Was trying to escape from Yugoslavia when he was captured by the Italians and interned in Italy for three months, before being repatriated to England. He continued his clandestine work, operating out of Turkey under an assumed name. His wife Lena was also "in the firm". Davis and Dimitrov were tried in Sofia for subversion and sentenced in absentia to execution by hanging. At the end of the war, Davis had reached
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