Bearers of a name that became widespread throughout the British Isles in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 but with much earlier roots, the Patons and their namesakes the Pattons have stamped an indelible mark on the historical record.

 

While some have gained distinction on the battlefield, most notably George Patton, the famous American general of the Second World War, others have achieved celebrity through a diverse range of endeavours and pursuits ranging from art and music to sport and as pioneering adventurers.

 

In the creative world of the written word, Alan Paton was the acclaimed South African writer and leading anti-apartheid activist best known for his 1948 novel Cry, The Beloved Country, adapted for film in both 1951 and 1995 and the basis for the Broadway musical Lost in the Stars.

 

The stirring and colourful lives and times of the Patons of both yesteryear and today are chronicled here.