The Gatehouse website record of a licence to crenellate for Pond Hall granted on 1371 March 1

Comments

Helming Legette obtained a licence to empark his manor of Pond Hall in 1369 and two years later to raise the status of his house by embattlement.
Helmyng Leget was from 1362 for many years receiver of the king's chamber, his business being to keep the king's money, receive it from various people and pay it out (Footnote: Rymer, vol. 3, p. 911.) He also was involved in diplomatic missions. (Hulbert)

The wives of the esquires came chiefly from two classes--first, the "domicellae" of the queen's retinue, and second, the daughters and heiresses of country gentlemen. Esquires who married wives from the second class frequently owed a great part of their importance in the county to the estates which their wives brought. So, frequently in the county histories occurs an account of some esquire whose family and antecedents the writer has been, unable to trace, but who was prominent in the county--sheriff perhaps or Knight of the Shire--as a result of the lands he held in right of his wife. An example of this is Helmyng Leget, who was member of Parliament for Essex in 7 and 9 Henry IV, and sheriff in 1401 and 1408. He had married Alice, daughter and coheir of Sir Thomas Mandeville and received the estates of Stapleford-Taney, Bromfield, Chatham Hall in Great Waltham and Eastwick in Hertfordshire. (Footnote: Morant's Essex vol. 2, p. 75; vol. 1, part 2, p. 179.) (Hulbert)

Original source is;

Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1914, Calendar of Patent Rolls (1370-74) p. 54 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;

Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 part 2 p. 417 online copy

Helmyng Leget (d. 1391)

Helmyng Leget was from 1362 for many years receiver of the king's chamber, his business being to keep the king's money, receive it from various people and pay it out (Footnote: Rymer, vol. 3, p. 911.) He also was involved in diplomatic missions. (Hulbert)

Family with tradition of service to the Crown... yeoman and esquire under Edward III, rising to receiver of the chamber (1362), constable of Windsor castle (1369), and coroner and clerk of the market of the household. (Roskell et al Vol. 3 p. 587)

Biographical source include;

Hulbert, James Root, 2004, Chaucer's Offical Life online copy
Roskell, J.S., Clark, Linda and Rawcliffe, Carole, 1992, The House of Commons 1386-1421 (History of Parliament Trust) p. 587-9

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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