GATEHOUSE
The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
Home
The listings
Other Info
Books
Links
Downloads
Contact
 
Print Page 
 
Next Record 
Previous Record 
Back to list 
In 1469 July 3, Radulphus Wolseley (Sir Ralph Wolseley) was granted, by Edward IV, (In year 9 of his reign) a Royal licence to crenellate Wolseley (Wolseley Hall)
Licence for Ralph Wolseley and his heirs to enclose and impark the land and water within or pertaining to the manor or lordship of Wolseley, co. Stafford, of which he is seised, and to make deer-leaps there and to have free warren and chase within the manor of hares, rabbits, pheasants, partridges and other birds, fish and deer. By p.s
Licence for the said Ralph and his heirs to crenellate the manor of Wolseley, co. Stafford. By p.s. (CPR)

Radulphus Wolseley, armiger ... manerium ... Wolseley, Staff. (Turner and Parker)

Granted at Westminster. Grant by privy seal.

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;

Ralph Wolseley (1425-1504)
Ralph Wolseley was born in the 1420s, and followed a career as a lawyer. His first wife was the sister of Walter Blount, first Lord Mountjoy, a strong Yorkist who was Treasurer of the Realm from 1464 to 1466, and it may have been through this connection that Wolseley was appointed Victualler of Calais in 1465-6. In 1467 he was appointed fourth Baron of the Exchequer, but lost the office with the brief revival of Lancastrian power in 1470-1. Perhaps as a result of his relatively rapid rise and his political allegiances, Ralph Wolseley was involved in a series of disputes with his neighbours and their tenants, and the documentation relating to these provides much of the information we have on Wolseley's activities. One was with John Gresley and began in about 1465; it chiefly related to various alleged assaults on Gresley's servants, and Gresley also complained that Wolseley had enclosed 1,000 acres illegally. (Welch)

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.


¤¤¤¤¤