The Gatehouse website record of a grant of murage for Canterbury granted 9/12/1385

Canterbury was given a grant of murage dated 9/12/1385.

This was in the form of:-

Grant of money:- for 2 years of £100 p.a. from issues of Kent Starting 9/12/1385 running to 8/12/1387.

Wording

Grant, out of reverence for St. Thomas and at the instance of the king's kinsman, the archbishop of Canterbury, to the bailiff's and commonalty of Canterbury, of 100l. a year from the issues of Kent, for two years, in aid of the walling, enclosing and fortifying of that city, on condition that they expend the same thereon by the survey and testimony of John de Cobeham, William Topclif, John Ropere of Canterbury and Master Henry Yevele. By p.s.
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Feb. 5. 1386. Westminster 9 Richard II
Memorandum of defeasance, upon condition that 200l. of the issues of Kent granted by the king to the bailiffs and commonalty of the city of Canterbury in aid of the fortification thereof, 200 marks which the archbishop shall give for that purpose, in case those sums be delivered to them, and 200l. of their own goods shall within two years be laid out thereupon by oversight and witness of John de Cobeham, William Topclif and John Roper of Canterbury.
Memorandum that the bailiffs and commonalty after accounted in the exchequer for the 200l. granted by the king, delivered at his command by Arnald Savage knight and Ralph Seyntleger knight late sheriffs, and laid out upon the walling and fortification of the city by oversight and control of John de Cobeham and Henry Yevele, as appears by a certificate of the treasurer and the barons of the exchequer sent into chancery at the king's command, and remaining on the file among the king's writs of 17 Richard II. It appears also by that certificate that in their account the bailiffs and commonalty produced particulars of costs laid out as aforesaid amounting to 419l. 11s. 10d. over and above the said sum. Therefore the foregoing recognisance shall not be sent among the estreats without deliberation.

Granted by Richard II. (Regnal year 9). Granted at Westminster. Granted by p.s..

Primary Sources

Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1900, Calendar of Patent Rolls Richard II (1385-89) Vol. 3 p. 103 online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1921, Calendar of Close Rolls, Richard II Vol. 3 p. 120-121 online copy

Secondary Sources

Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 149, p. 185n29
1960, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 4 p. 149 online copy
Hasted, Edward, 1778-99, A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol. 4 p. 412 online copy

Comments

The statement here (Med. Arch. p. 149) that Richard II gave 250 marks towards the building of the walls in 1390 is not accurate: it is to be attributed to Hasted, IV, 412, but without further substantiation. (Turner, p. 185)
The massively-constructed battering base of a bastion was excavated in the old cattle-market. Built of flint-rubble it is encased with well-coursed blocks of Kentish rag. Stratified deposits within the structure produced pottery which suggests that it could not have been built until c.1390, when it is known that Richard III (sic) granted a considerable sum for reconstructing the city defences. (Med. Arch. Vol. 4 p. 149)
king Richard II. gave two hundred and fifty marcs for the same purpose… (Hasted)
It unclear to me why the date c. 1390 and the sum 250 marks was attached to this reference (perhaps the original roll reads ccl. for 200 pounds and this was read, by Hasted, as 250 {marks}). What is clear is that the king and the archbishop gave considerable sums towards the town walls in the 1380's.

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