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In 1567 Oct 28, Lewis Grevell (Lewis Greville; Lodovic Grveell) was granted, by Elizabeth I, (In year 9 of his reign) a Royal licence to crenellate Mylcote - Mountgrevell (Milcote Manor)
Licence for Lewis Grevell, his heirs and assigns to build a new mansion house in their Manor of Mylcote, C. Warwick, to embattle the said house and to call it Mountgrevell. Also licence to impark and enclose their Manor of Weston upon Avon Co. Gloucester... By p.s. (CPR)

Granted at Westminster. Grant by p.s..

Comments

Milcote is a township in the parish of Weston upon Avon. Probalby the licence has to do the status of Lewis and, particularly his wife, Thomasina.

"To whom suceeded Lodowik his son and heir then 22 years of age; who being an ambitious and spirited man, procured Licence (Pat. 9 Eliz. p. 3.) from Q Eliz. in 9 of her reign, to make a Castle here at Milcote, and to call in Mount-Grevill, which accordingly he began to do on the top of the Hill above a quarter of a mile Southwards from the old Mannour house, as is to be seen by part of the fabrick yet standing." (Dugdale)

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;

Lewis Greville (d. 1589)
Lewis Greville (d. 1589), Warwickshire gentry, had held Milcote for generations. No particular royal connection but Lewis was married to Thomasina, daughter of William Petre, former principle secretary of state, who had obtained a licence for Ingatestone Hall in 1551 (qv). The licenced house had direct access to the deer park. The VCH records that the house was not finished and that Grevell resorted to murder and falsifying a will in an attempt to get the money to continue the house.

Lewis suffered death for the murder of one Webb, of Drayton, co. Oxon. (Dugdale, Antiqs. of Warws. ii, 711). In June of this year (1589) Katherine Webb of Drayton, widow of Thomas Webb, had sued Lewis Greville to recover possession of a messuage called the New House, with lands and pastures called Goldicote, leased to her late husband by Lewis, who had afterwards obtained possession of the lease under colour of a supposed will (Chan. Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle. 230, no. 34). According to Dugdale Lewis Greville had forged a will in his own favour. (VCH)

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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