Margaret Aston

Margaret Evelyn Buxton (; 9 October 1932 – 22 November 2014), known by her first married name Margaret Aston, was a British historian and academic specialising in the Late Medieval Period and ecclesiastical history. During her career, she lectured at both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Early life Aston was born on 9 October 1932 to Edward Bridges, a senior civil servant, and his wife Monica (née Farrer). Her paternal grandfather was Robert Bridges, a Poet Laureate, and a great-grandfather was Alfred Waterhouse, an architect. Her maternal grandparents were Thomas Farrer, 2nd Baron Farrer and Evelyn Mary Spring Rice, the sister of Sir Cecil Spring Rice. She later continued her studies as a postgraduate. Her supervisor was K. B. McFarlane, described by The Independent as "the pre-eminent authority on 15th century England, but notorious as a woman-hater".

Personal life In 1954, she married Trevor Aston. He was a historian and a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. They married in 1971.

On 5 March 1987, she was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA). In 1994, she was elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). She was President of the Ecclesiastical History Society (2000–01). She was also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS).

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