The Pastons & the Wars of the Roses

The brothers John Paston at the Battle of Barnet, © 2020 graham@studio88.co.ukThe Paston Letters describe the rise and fortunes of the Paston family of north Norfolk. The Letters provide excellent primary source material for teaching students about the Wars of the Roses. By following the fortunes of the Paston family, the national events at court and local impact of the Wars of the Roses can be easily followed and understood within a family context. The Letters and associated documents kept by the Pastons provide first-hand accounts of court events and battles fought as well as charting the remarkable achievement of the Pastons, who emerged greatly strengthened from the period of conflict and chaos.

The section has two information pages for students, a page with battle locations, a page with battle listings and a set of notes for teachers, the latter containing ideas you might wish to use in the classroom or for home learning.

In addition we're providing links to the excellent teaching materials available at the thinkinghistory web site which is packed full of ideas on exploring the Wars of the Roses for different age groups.

The Paston Letters and the Wars of the Roses - Part 1, 1381 to 1461. Click to go to that page; if you follow the links on that page through to the letters, you will see them presented in a number of ways and you can usually access the original letters on the British Library web site.

The Paston Letters and the Wars of the Roses - Part 2, 1461 to 1487. Click to go to that page.

Map of Battles of the Wars of the Roses. Click through from the icons on the map for further information.

List of Battles of the Wars of the Roses. A list of the battles in date order, with the opportunity to click for further information.

Teachers' Notes on the Pastons and the Wars of the Roses Click for notes on using this web site and for many other ideas on teaching the Wars of the Roses.