Castle Terminology

CASTLE TERMANOLOGY

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Castle Parts

===Bailey=== - The ward or courtyard inside the castle walls, includes exercise area, parade ground, emergency corral. ===Bawn=== - An enclosed area of mud or stone walls for keeping cattle. ===Burough=== - A town with trading privileges. ===Castle=== - A fortified house or stronghold, residence of a nobleman. ===Curtain Wall=== - A connecting wall hung between two towers surrounding the bailey. ===Drawbridge=== - A heavy timber platform built to span a moat between a gatehouse and surrounding land that could be raised when required to block an entrance. ===Dungeon=== - The jail, usually found in one of the towers. ===Great Hall=== - The building in the inner ward that housed the main meeting and dining area for the castle's residence. ===Gate House=== - The complex of towers, bridges, and barriers built to protect each entrance through a castle or town wall. ===Hill Fort=== - Fortified site often on summit of a hill, usually with series of ditches and ramparts, many with stone walls. Dates from Iron Age. Many later castles were built within these fortifications. ===House=== - A castle, tower or fortalice, especially where these have been extended or modified; also mansion. ===Inner Curtain=== - The high wall the surrounds the inner ward. ===Inner Ward=== - The open area in the center of a castle. ===Keep=== - A strong stone tower; main tower; donjon; stronghold. ===Motte and bailey=== - A defence system, Roman in origin, consisting of an earth ===motte=== (mound) carrying a wooden tower with a bailey (open court) with an enclosing ditch palisade. ===Outer Curtain=== - The wall the encloses the outer ward. ===Outer Ward=== - The area around the outside of and adjacent to the inner curtain. ===Palace=== - An old Scottish term for a two storey hall block. ===Royal castle=== - A castle held by a keeper or constable for the monarch>

Building Terms

===Bartizan=== - An overhanging battlemented corner turret, corbelled out; sometimes as grandiose as an overhanging gallery; common in Scotland and France. ===Bastion=== - A small tower at the end of a curtain wall or in the middle of the outside wall. ===Battlement=== - Parapet with indentations or embrasures, with raised portions (merlons) between; crenelations; a narrow wall built along the outer edge of the wall walk for protection against attack. ===Burg=== - German stronghold. ===Buttress=== - Wall projection for extra support; flying - narrow, arched bridge against the structure; pilaster - gradually recedes into the structure as it ascends. ===Concentric=== - Having two sets of walls, one inside the other. ===Crenel=== - The low segment of the alternating high and low segments of a battlement. ===Crenelation=== - Battlements at the top of a tower or wall. ===Loophole=== - Narrow, tall opening, wallslit for light, air, or shooting through. ===Merlon=== - The high segment of the alternating high and low segments of a battlement. ===Moat=== - A deep trench usually filled with water that surrounded a castle. ===Motte=== - A mound of earth on which a tower was built; artificial conical earth mound (sometimes an old barrow) for the keep. ===Palisade=== - A sturdy wooden fence usually built to enclose a site until a permanent stone wall can be constructed. ===Parapet=== - Low wall on outer side of main wall.