Document Type
Article
Peer Reviewed
1
DOI
10.17077/1536-8742.2212
Access Restrictions
Full text restricted to subscribers.
Abstract
The Paston Letters contain one letter from Constance Reynyforth, the mistress of Sir John Paston, and one reference to her ‘bastard’ daughter, Constance Paston. The subsequent life of Constance Paston has, until now, remained obscure. My research, which outlines these discoveries for the first time, reveals that, not only was she acknowledged and cared for by the Pastons, but she also married into a local gentry family, had children, and lived a normal lifespan.
Keywords
Constance Reynyforth Rainsford Paston Clippesby Letters Illegitimate Wardship
Rights Information
Copyright © 2021 Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship
Recommended Citation
Clayton, Jane "Discovering Constance: Reconstructing the Life of the Illegitimate Daughter of John Paston II." Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality 56, No. 2 (2021) : 93-124.
Included in
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Medieval History Commons, Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons
