The Gatehouse website record of a licence to crenellate for Ingatestone Hall granted on 1551 Nov 20

Whereas the king's councillor William Petre, knight, one of the two principal secretaries, lately began to enclose and impark of his own lands a certain several ground heretofore usually inclosed with hedges within the parishes of Ingat Stone alias Ging ad Petram, Gingmounteney, and Buttesbury, Essex, containing 300 ac., with the king's licence to make a park of it for deer; and whereas the said William has caused his house within the foresaid ground to be embattled and made with battlements:
Licence to the said William, without fine or fee to the king, to make the said park and have free warren in it provided that the lands are not within the bounds of the king's forest; also to embattle the said house; and pardon of any trespasses done in the above. By p.s. (CPR)

Granted at Westminster. Grant by privy seal.

Comments

This seat, in Essex, would have given Petre a retreat within easy reach of his offices and duties at Westminister although he did retire and eventual die at Ingatestone. The licence would have been issued by the council of regency and the 'pardon' probably reflects honour to be boy king rather than any sanction to Petre.

Original source is;

Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1926, Calendar of Patent Rolls (1550-53) p. 110 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;

Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol. 38 p. 92n17

Petre, Sir William (1505/6–1572)

Petre, Sir William (1505/6–1572), administrator, was the son of John Petre, a prosperous cattle farmer and tanner whose family had long been settled at Tor Newton in Torbryan, Devon...During 1543–4 Petre deputized for Sir Ralph Sadler as keeper of the seal of the duchy of Lancaster. On 21 January 1544 he was appointed one of the principal secretaries (of state) in succession to Sir Thomas Wriothesley and as junior to Sir William Paget; at the same time he acquired a knighthood, membership of the privy council, and an ex officio seat in the House of Lords... Henry VIII excluded him from the regency council which he designed for his son's minority. Petre was appointed only to the outer group of assistant executors, and was the only one of the whole body of executors who did not receive a personal legacy from the king... 18 March (1547), when Somerset had expanded the privy council, did Petre regain a place there. However, on 29 June he was promoted to the comptrollership; he was then sole secretary until April 1548, and remained senior secretary until retirement in 1557. (Knighton)

Biographical source include;

C. S. Knighton, Sept 2004, ‘Petre, Sir William (1505/6–1572)’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press) online edn, Jan 2008 online copy (subscription may be needed)

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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