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In 1439 Oct 11, John Moungomery (John Montgomery) was granted, by Henry VI, (In year 18 of his reign) a Royal licence to crenellate Falkeburn (Faulkbourne Hall)
On the petition of John Moungomery, knight, it appears that he is seised in his demesne as of fee of the manor and park of Falkeburn with their appurtenances in the towns of Falkeburn and Wytham,co. Essex, and desires to fortify, crenellate and embattle the said manor with walls of stone or 'bryke' ; the king therefore grants him licence to do so, and to hold the manor with the park so walled round, crenellated and embattled, to him, his heirs and assigns. By p.s. (CPR)

Granted at Kempton Manor. Grant by privy seal.

Comments

The hall was acquired before 1426 by Sir John Montgomery, a Welshman who served in France under Richard Duke of York. There was then a timber-framed house on the site, which Montgomery encased in brick (Pevsner p. 351).

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;

Sir John Montgomery (1385-1449)
Sir John Montgomery (1385-1449) of Faulkbourne and Charlton, a Welshman of obscure origin who made his fortune in the Hundred Years War as captain and garrison commander, helping to capture Joan of Arc. Not the Scottish knight (Laird of Eagleham) of the same name, but different family, who captured Harry Hotspur at the battle of Otterburn, nor the knight in Shakespeares Henry VI Part 3, although he was a historic character and possible heir.

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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