The Gatehouse website record of a licence to crenellate for Aberedw Castle granted on 1284 Nov 24

To all to whom, etc. Whereas Edmund de Mortuo Mari has granted by his charter to Walter Hackelutel all the lands in Elvayl Huchmenyt that belonged to Griffin ab Oweyn and that came to Edmund's hand as escheat, and Walter has commenced to build a castle there, to which the king has given his willing consent; the king grants that Walter may complete the castle thus begun and may hold it when so built without trouble from the king or his heirs. (CWelshR)

Oct 6, 1285, Winchester. To the justices appointed for the custody of the Jews. Notification that the king has pardoned Walter Hackelutel, in consideration of his grateful service to the king and of his costs and expenses in newly erecting a house in the Welsh marches and afterwards crenellating (kernelandam) it by the king's licence for the security of those parts, a debt of 57l. in which he was indebted to Aaron le Blund, a Jew of Hereford, for William Mael and Thomas his son, which debt the Jew would lately have sold to Walter for 20l.: the king therefore orders the justices to cause the charters in the chest of the chirographers of the Jews under the names of the said William and Thomas for the aforesaid debt to be withdrawn and delivered to Walter, and to cause William and Thomas to be acquitted thereof. It is provided that the Jew shall have recompence for the said 20l. from the king's old debts as the justices shall ordain. (CCR)

Comments

"By 24 November 1284, King Edward I gave his consent for Walter Hackelutel to continue with the fortification of the castle he had begun in Wales. This was undoubtedly Aberedw. On 6 October 1285 Walter Hackelutel was further pardoned a debt of £57 owed to Jews against "his costs and expenses in newly erecting a house in the Welsh Marches and afterwards crenellating it by the king's license for the better security of those parts"." (Remfry)

A grant of money to build a castle. Despite the wording in the Close Roll of the stylised term 'king's licence' in this was not a licence to crenellate in that no patent letter was given. This not the same as saying this house was not fortified, it clearly was.

Original source is;

Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1912, Calendar of various Chancery Rolls - Welsh Rolls 1277-1294 p. 295 online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1902, Calendar of Close Rolls Edward I (1279-1288) Vol. 2 p. 342 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;

Remfry, Paul, 1994-2007, Aberedw Castles online at online copy
Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p. 54
Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p. 181

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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