The Gatehouse website record of a licence to crenellate for Coventry granted on 1363 Nov 20

Licence for the mayor, bailiffs, citizens and good men of Coventre to crenellate their city. {Foedera.} By p.s. (CPR)

Maior, ballivi et probi homines ... civitatem ... Coventre. (Turner and Parker)

1385 May 4. Westminster. Licence, upon the petition of the mayor, bailiffs, and good men of Coventry, promising to enclose the site of the king's manor of Cheillesmore within the walls of their city, in accordance with the bounds limited by the kind's steward for the time being, and reciting the like licence of the late king, dated 20 November, 37 Edward III. and his subsequent letters patent assigning certain persons to assess the merchants, inhabitants and other dwellers in Coventry, and apply the sums levied for the purpose, and that the work has been left unfinished, to crenellate the residue of the walls accordingly, on condition that they fulfil their said promise, with power to assess the merchants and inhabitants as aforesaid, until the work is complete, and during its progress to take sufficient stone from the king's quarry within the park of Cheillesmore for fencing the said manor and making a gate through the city wall near the park in the highway by the house of the Friars Minors. Further grant to them, as from Easter last, of the farm yearly accruing to the king from the sealing of woollen cloth in Coventry, to the value 24/., receivable for the next five years, in aid of the said work. By p.s. (CPR)

Comments

Murage first granted 1329 but work probably didn't start until 1364. A licence to complete the work was issued in 1385. Circuit was only finally completed in 1540. Clearly, since murage had been already granted, there was no requirement for a licence to crenellate. Was this licence sought more to motivate and encourage those citizens who thought the wall was a needless financial burden? If so then it had some limited success and the technique was repeated in 1385 with rather less success, despite the 'Peasant's revolt'.

Not printed in the Hague edition of Rymer (which is currently available online - the record edition, with syllabus, should eventually be published as part of British History Online).

Original source is;

Rymer, Thomas (ed), (Record Edn), Foedera Vol. 3 part 2 p. 715
Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1912, Calendar of Patent Rolls (1361-64) p. 417 online copy
Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1897, Calendar of Patent Rolls (1381-85) p. 557 online 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;

Joan C. Lancaster and Margaret Tomlinson, 1969, in Stephens, W.B.(ed), VCH Warwickshire Vol. 8 p. 1-23 online copy
Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 part 2 p. 416 online copy

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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