Page:Medieval Military Architecture in England (volume 1).djvu/187

Of the Edwardian or Concentric Castles. 171 of the prerogative, and, in the rei^^n of Henry III., a regular form of Hcence, "Hcentia crenellare," had to be granted before a house could lawfully be fortified. The earliest known of these licences was granted by Henry HI. to the Bishop of Winchester in 1257-8, to enable him to fortify the Isle of Portland. Henry granted 20 of these licences ; Edward I., 44; Edward II., 60; Edward III., 181; Richard II., 60; Henry IV., 8 ; Henry V., i ; Henry VL, 5 ; and Edward IV., 3. A very complete list of these licences, prepared by Sir J. Duffus Hardy, has been printed by Mr. Parker. Of the 382 given by him, only four relate to castles of importance ; Belvoir, Bungay, Dudley, and Whitchurch, all of which had been fortified before legal memory. Most of the others relate to manor-houses, some to bishops' palaces and cathedral closes, some to monasteries, some to houses in cities, and some to castles probably then first built, or perhaps rebuilt on a larger scale. Such were Apley, Aldworth, Amberley, Bodiam, Bolton, Bothal, Cowling, Dunstanborough, Ford, Harewood, Naworth, Penrith, Rose Castle, Stokesay, Shir- burne, Tanfield, Tongue, and Wardour, most of which are still standing, and two or three inhabited. The following, from the Patent Roll, 15 Hen. VI., 1437, is a part of the licence granted to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and his Duchess, who proposed to build a strong house upon the hill now occupied by the Royal Observatory at Greenwich : " Muris petra et calce includere' et firmare, et muros illos kernellare, batellare, et turrellare, ac quandam turrim infra parcum praedictum simiHter petra et calce de novo construere, edificare, ac tam turrim illam sic de novo constructam et edificatam quam dictum manerium sive mansionem ut prai- mittitur inclusum, firmatum, kernellatum, imbattellatum, et turrellatum, tenere possint sibi et haeredibus suis praedictis in perpetuum." Innis (" Sketches," 444) gives a corresponding licence from the Earl of Ross, in 1406, for the building of Kilravock. "Johne of Yle, Erie of Ross ande Lord of the His, to all ande sundry to quhais knawlage thir our present letteris sail come, greeting. Witte us to have gevyn ande grantit, and be thir present letteris gevis ande grantis, our full power ande licence till our lufhd cosing, man ande tennand, Huchone de Roos, Baron of Kylravok, to fund, big, ande upmak a toure of fens, with barmkin and bataling, upon quhat place of strynth him best likes, within the barony of Kilrawok, with- out any contradictioun or demaund, questioun, or any obiec- tion to put in contrar of him or his ayris, be us or our ayris^ for the said toure ande barmkyn making, with the bataling,