In 1268, Bishop Godfrey Giffard was possibly granted, by Henry III, a Royal licence to crenellate (Hartlebury Castle)

There is insufficient evidence to be certain about this possible licence to crenellate.

Reference seems originally to come from Pearce who quotes the Liber Albus of the Bishops of Worcester, f. 456, which contains an entry that Bishop Walter de Cantilupe had begun a castle; Bishop Godfrey Giffard was granted leave to crenellate. King also writes "It is to be noted that this licence is not entered in the rolls."

Significant later source are;

• Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p118
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p509n10
  Pearce, E.H., 1926, Hartlebury Castle, with some notes on Bishops who lived in it and on others who lived elsewhere (London; SPCK) p20-1

Giffard, Godfrey (1235?–1302)

Godfrey Giffard, (c. 1235 – 1302) was Chancellor of the Exchequer of England, Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Worcester.

Biographical source include;

• Susan J. Davies, ‘Giffard, Godfrey (1235?–1302)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10649, accessed 27 March 2008]
  

More details about licences to crenellate can be found here.

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