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In 1336 March 18, John de Molyns and Giles his wife (John Moleyns and Egidia his wife) were granted, by Edward III, (In year 10 of his reign) a Royal licence to crenellate Aston (Aston Mullins)
Licence, of special grace, to John de Molyns and Giles his wife to strengthen with a wall of stone and mortar and to crenellate the house (mansum) of their manor of Aston and to enclose and make a park of their woods of Ilmere and la Sale with 100 acres of pasture in the towns of Bekenesfeld, Burnham and Chippenham, co. Buckingham, which they hold in several, and to hold the said house and park to them and their heirs without let or hindrance of the king and his heirs or any their ministers: provided that they are not within the king's forest; grant also to the same of free warren in all their demense lands of Aston, Ilmere and Adyngton, and to the said John and his heirs of free warren in all their demense lands of Bekennesfeld, Burnham and Cippeham and of Chalfonte, Huggeleye and Farnham, co. Buckingham. (CChR)

Granted at Westminster. Grant by privy seal.

Comments

The final conveyance took place in 1315, and Sir John held it until his death before 1328–9. His widow Gille married Sir John de Molyns, and the latter acquired the manor of Aston Mullins from John the son and heir of Sir John Blacket. De Molyns obtained further security in this manor by releases of their respective rights from John Fitz Bernard and Giles and Isabel Blacket. Various letters patent and charters from the king were also obtained, one amongst them granting leave to Sir John de Molyns and his wife to embattle the house at Aston Mullins. (VCH)

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;

Moleyns , Sir John (d. 1360)
John de Molyns, although described as the king's yeoman, was Treasurer to Edward III and was eventually knighted. His later career was an almost textbook 'robber baron'.
Moleyns (Molyns, Molines), Sir John (d. 1360), administrator and criminal, was the son of Vincent Moleyns and his wife, Isabella; he came from Hampshire, where his father had stood surety for a knight of the shire returned to parliament in 1301. His recorded career began in the royal household, as an adherent of the Despensers. In the autumn of 1325 he accompanied Prince Edward to France, and delivered a letter to the bishop of Winchester there. He married Egidia Mauduit, daughter of Sir John Mauduit and granddaughter of Robert Poges, who claimed a share of the manor of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. Egidia and her husband profited from the murder of Peter Poges, lord of the manor, and his heir in the autumn of 1326, and Moleyns was later indicted of this crime but acquitted, though by a jury partly selected by himself. Stoke Poges became the centre of his estates which extended over thirty-one manors and tenements at the time of their confiscation in December 1340. (Röhrkasten)

Biographical source include;

More information about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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Record created by Philip Davis. This record last updated on Sunday, October 4, 2015.


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