The Gatehouse website record of a licence to crenellate for Caludon Castle granted on 1354

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In 1354, John de Mowbray was possibly granted, by Edward III, a Royal licence to crenellate (Caludon Castle)

There is insufficient evidence to be certain about this possible licence to crenellate. (Some licences may be lost from record and others may have wrongly presumed to have been granted or may be total inventions.)

Comments

Licence said to be granted, not in the rolls. The manor had passed, on the death of John Seagrave, Lord Segrave, in 1353, to his daughter Elizabeth and her husband John Mowbray and the castle was probably rebuilt at this time. The Mowbray's were to become Dukes of Norfolk by the end of C14. In 1354 John Mowbrey was only 14 (he had married below canonical age) but had a powerful supporter in his uncle Henry, earl of Lancaster. Is this a genuine 'lost' licence or a case of someone supposing the new work must have required a licence and, therefore, inventing a licence? The young age of John, even given his uncle's influence, suggests the later.

Significant later sources are;

Stephens, W.B., 1969, 'The City of Coventry: The outlying parts of Coventry: Wyken and Caludon', VCH Warwickshire Vol. 8 p. 121-2 online copy
Coventry City Library, Andrews's cuttings, iii.

John de Mowbray

Biographical source include;

Rowena E. Archer, 2004, ‘Mowbray, John (III), fourth Lord Mowbray (1340–1368)’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press) online copy (subscription may be needed)

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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