In 1327 March 5, the burgesses were granted, by Edward III, (In year 1 of his reign) a Confirmation licence to crenellate Kingston-upon-Hull (Kingston upon Hull Town Wall)
Confirmation of a licence by the late king for the burgesses of Kingston-upon-Hull to strengthen their town with moats and a wall and to crenellate the wall; with further licence for them to crenellate their houses with stone or tile. By K. & C. (CPR)
Edward, by the grace of God king of England. lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine, To all his Bailiffs and faithful subjects to whom the present letters shall come, Greetings. Know ye that whereas the Lord E{dward}, late King of England, our father, of his special grace, and for the greater safety and security of out town of Kyngeston upon Hull, did grant and give licence, for himself and his heirs, to his beloved Burgesses and Commonalty of the said town, that they might enclose the same town with moats and a wall of stone and lime, and might crenellate that wall, and might hold the town aforesaid so enclosed, and the said wall so crenellated, to themselves and their heirs and successors, Burgesses of the town aforesaid, for ever, as in the letters patent of him our father, thereof made to them, more fully is contained: We, accepting the grant of him our father in this matter, do will and grant, for us and our heirs, as far as in us, that the aforesaid Burgesses may enclose the said town with moats and a wall of stone and lime, and may crenellate that wall, and also their houses in the same town, with stone or brick (Tegula), and may hold the town aforesaid so enclosed, as well as the wall and houses aforesaid so crenellated, to themselves their heirs and successors, Burgesses of the town aforesaid, for ever, without hindrance or impediment of us, or our heirs, escheators, sheriffs or other our bailiffs or ministers whomsoever. And, therefore, we command you that ye shall not molest in any manner or burben the aforesaid Burgesses or Commonalty, or their heirs or successors, contrary to the tenor of the aforesaid grants and licenses. In testimony whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness ourself at Westminster, on the fifth day of March, in the first year of our reign. WATH. By the King himself and the Council. (Boyle)
Granted at Westminster. Grant by King and Council.
Comments
Confirmation of licence of 1321; with further licence for them to crenellate their houses with stone or tile. The original licence had been supported by Robert Baldock, Edward II's keeper of the privy seal, who was deeply unpopular, imprisoned and was about die after being abused by an angry London mob.
Note also the granting of a licence to crenellate nearby Cottingham Castle granted the very next day. Whilst part of this licence may be about confirming the town status with the new regime part may also be about the unease between the Town and Lord Wake.
The addition licence to the burgesses houses is not specific but almost certainly included the de la Pole house shown as a crenellate tower on a C14 map of Hull.
Original source is;
Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1891, Calendar of Patent Rolls (1327-30) p. 33 online copy Boyle, J. R., 1905, Charters and Letters Patent granted to Kingston upon Hull (Hull Corporation) p. 10-11 The original survives and is held by Hull City Council in the Hull History Centre National Archive SC 8/14/693 (a petition for a licence which the NA links to this licence, although may apply to the earlier licence of 1321) order copy
(In fact, the original source given is usually a transcription/translation
of what are precious medieval documents not readily availably. It should be
noted that these transcription/translations often date to the nineteenth or
early twentieth centuries and that unwitting bias of transcribers may affect
the translation. Care should also be taken to avoid giving modern meaning to
the medieval use of certain stock words and terms. Licentia is best translated as 'freedom to' not 'permission'.)
Significant later sources are;
Coulson, C., 1995, 'Battlements and the Bourgeoisie: Municipal Status and the Apparatus of Urban Defence' in Church, Stephen (ed), Medieval Knighthood Vol. 5 (Boydell) p163 Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol. 38 p. 122
Photograph of the original patent letter grant licence to crenellate - Reproduce with kind permission of the Hull History Centre.
More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.
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Record created by Philip Davis. This record last updated on Sunday, October 4, 2015.
