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In 1348 Feb 22, Johannes de Grey de Retherfeld (Sir John Grey of Rotherfield) was granted, by Edward III, (In year 22 of his reign) a Confirmation licence to crenellate Sculcotes (Sculcoates)
Licence for John de Grey of Retherfeld to crenellate his dwelling-places of Retherfeld, co. Oxford, and Sculcotes, co. York. By p.s. (CPR)

Johannes de Grey de Retherfeld ... mansum ... Sculcotes, Ebor. (Turner and Parker)

Granted at Westminster. Grant by privy seal.

Comments

Licensed with Rotherfield Greys Court, Oxfordshire. The same licence was granted in 1346 at Calais. There is no suggestions as to the reason for this repeat.
From about 1312 until 1330 Robert de Moreby, who had married the widow of John de Grey the elder, shared the lordship of the manor with John de Grey the younger. In 1376 Robert de Grey granted the manor to John de Neville. (VCH)

16 years after getting sole possession suggests the licence to crenellate was not about confirming ownership. Possibly money from the french wars allowed the funding of a new building although, Probably little building took place before the Plague and that this was never much of a residential manor for the de Grey's which made it's disposal, in the more financially difficult 1370's, fairly easy.

Original source is;

(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;

John Grey, first Lord Grey of Rotherfield (1300-1359)
John Grey, first Lord Grey of Rotherfield (1300-1359) from 1338 he was regularly summoned to parliaments and councils; he is consequently regarded as having thereby become Lord Grey of Rotherfield. In 1340 he was appointed an assessor of the ninth in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, but his principal occupation remained as a soldier, and between that year and 1347 he was almost continuously employed in Scotland, Flanders, and France. A founder member of the Order of the Garter, he fought at Crécy in 1346 in the King's division, and took part in the siege of Calais a year later in the retinue of William Clinton, earl of Huntingdon. No doubt it was as a reward for such services that on 10 December 1346 he was licensed to crenellate his principal residences of Rotherfield and Sculcoates, near Hull. (Summerson)

Grey had had a notable and occasional violent quarrel with William, first Lord Zouche of Mortimer, but this was resolved by 1333.

Biographical source include;

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

Please do inform Gatehouse if you see any errors, can add information or can otherwise help to improve this resource. Please contact Gatehouse.

Record created by Philip Davis. This record last updated on Sunday, October 4, 2015.


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