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the purpose of licensing. The view of military-focused historians is that licensing restricted the number of fortifications that could be used against a royal army, so the licensing system protected royal power across the country against local interests. The modern view, proposed notably by
Charles Coulson, is that in time battlements became an architectural status-symbol much sought after by the socially ambitious, and licensing became not so much a control mechanism as the gateway to a status symbol. As he puts it, "Licences to crenellate were mainly symbolic representations of lordly status: castellation was the architectural expression of noble rank."
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There are over 1,500 castles in
England; however, the 460 surviving licences only refer to just over 500 sites. According to Goodall, this undermines the assertion that builders had to seek permission from the Crown. Moreover, requests were rarely refused. Licences indicated to the observer that the
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The term "licence to crenellate" was coined in the 19th century to describe documents that granted the holder permission to build fortifications. The reference to crenellation was chosen specifically because most of these documents made references to battlements. There has been academic debate over
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were distributed and were a public declaration that the person named within had been granted permission by the king to build a fortification. During periods of conflict, the number of licences granted usually increased. Only in a small number of cases did the Crown levy fees against those applying
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in Kent, a brass plaque on the outer gatehouse, an engraved charter of 1381, reads, "I am made in the help of the country." In the opinion of archaeologist
Matthew Johnson, the castle's defences are a sham, as there was no room for a parapet on top of the walls, and the gunports of the inner
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Of those given permission to build fortifications, most were knights rather than the upper members of the aristocracy. Most applicants were individuals; however, towns could also apply and 28 licences relate to town defences. While most people who secured licences were secular, ecclesiastic
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institutions were also eligible: 44 licences relate to churches, abbeys, and cathedrals. While licences were mostly granted to men, eleven women are mentioned in the surviving licences and four licences were granted directly to women.
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The castle's defences could, however, act as a deterrent against wandering bands of thieves, and Davis has suggested that the function of battlements was comparable to the modern practice of householders fitting highly visible
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considers a charter of 1127 to be one, it was rejected as such by Philip Davis. In 1199 the administration of the country began to be systematically recorded, and the majority of licences survive in the
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Licences to crenellate were issued from the 12th to 16th centuries. The earliest licences present a point of contention. For instance although an authority such as
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Coulson, Charles (1995), Church, Stephen (ed.), "Battlements and the
Bourgeoisie: Municipal Status and the Apparatus of Urban Defence",
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50:) granted the holder permission to fortify his property. Such licences were granted by the king, and by the rulers of the
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556:"Ecclesiastical Licences to Crenellate: Urban Space and Rivalries in Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century England"
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gatehouse were impractical. The architecture is effectively a boast of military importance, as is the licence.
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Coulson, Charles (1994), "Freedom to
Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision",
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Eales, Richard, 2003, "Royal power and castles in Norman
England", in Liddiard, Robert (ed.)
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Coulson, Charles (1979), "Structural
Symbolism in Medieval Castle Architecture",
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grantee had obtained "royal recognition, acknowledgement and compliment."
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for licences to crenellate, and then it was only a small amount, a
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Castles in
Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500
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Platt, Colin (2007), "Understanding
Licences to Crenellate",
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Platt, Colin (2009), "Patterns in
Licences to Crenellate",
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Goodall (2011), p.8; Davis (2006–7), p.234; Davis, Philip,
562:, Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 68–88
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Medieval Urban Identity: Health, Economy and Regulation
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Behind the Castle Gate: From Medieval to Renaissance
389:, Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer. pp. 41–68
477:Journal of the British Archaeological Association
188:, Gatehouse Gazetteer, retrieved 19 August 2012.
266:Coulson (1982), p.72, quoted in Davis (2006–7)
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361:"English Licences to Crenellate: 1199-1567'"
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27:Formal permission to build a fortification
327:"Hierarchism in Conventual Crenellation"
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54:within their jurisdictions, i.e. by the
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577:Fortification (architectural elements)
428:, Macclesfield: Windgather Press Ltd.
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311:Johnson (2002), pp.xiii–xix
592:Regulation in the United Kingdom
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368:The Castle Studies Group Journal
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489:10.1080/00681288.1979.11895032
346:10.1080/00766097.1982.11735438
146:List of licences to crenellate
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558:, in Sabaté, Flocel (ed.),
497:Nottingham Medieval Studies
359:Davis, Philip (2006–2007),
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248:Davis (2006–7), pp.228‐229
554:Thorstad, Audrey (2015),
325:Coulson, Charles (1982),
424:Liddiard, Robert, 2005,
410:Johnson, Matthew, 2002,
62:, and after 1351 by the
107:The outer gatehouse of
399:, London: Yale Books.
175:Goodall (2011), pp.8–9
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464:Licence to crenellate
414:, London: Routledge,
302:Liddiard (2005), p.44
257:Davis (2006–7), p.229
239:Liddiard (2005), p.43
202:Davis (2006–7), p.228
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44:licence to crenellate
587:Medieval English law
387:Anglo-Norman Castles
334:Medieval Archaeology
293:Coulson (1982), p.83
284:Coulson (1982), p.69
227:Coulson (1982), p.70
517:Medieval Knighthood
509:10.1484/J.NMS.3.230
218:Goodall (2011), p.9
397:The English Castle
275:Eales (2003), p.48
151:Adulterine castles
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75:The English Castle
64:Dukes of Lancaster
48:licence to fortify
18:Licence to fortify
582:Medieval defences
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571:Categories
503:: 86–137,
340:: 69–100,
158:References
549:: 232–240
536:: 203–207
483:: 73–90,
374:: 226–245
395:, 2011,
140:See also
38:and the
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