 Allure or Wall-walk: | passage behind the parapet of a castle wall |
| Apse: | circular or polygonal end of a tower or chapel |
| Arcading: | rows of arches supported on columns, free-standing or attached to a wall (blind arcade) |
| Arrow Loop: | A narrow vertical slit cut into a wall through which arrows could be fired from inside |
| Ashlar: | blocks of smooth, squared stone of any kind |
| Bailey or Ward: | courtyard within the walls of the castle |
| Ballista: | engine resembling a crossbow, used in hurling missiles or large arrows |
| Barbican: | an outwork or forward extension of a castle gateway |
| Barrel vault: | semicircular roof of stone & timber |
| Bartizan: | overhanging corner turret |
| Bastion: | a small tower at the end of a curtain wall or in the middle of the outside wall |
| Battlement: | a narrow wall built along the outer edge of the wall walk to protect soldiers against attack |
| Belfry: | tall, movable wooden tower on wheels, used in sieges |
| Buttery: | room for the service of beverages |
| Concentric: | having two sets of walls, one inside the other |
| Crenelation: | a notched battlement made up of alternate crenels (openings) and merlons (square sawteeth) |
| Cross-wall: | an internal dividing wall in a great tower |
| Curtain wall: | a castle wall enclosing a courtyard |
| Cut: | an assault tower |
| Corbel: | stone bracket projecting from a wall or corner to support a beam |
| Donjon: | the inner stronghold (keep) of a castle |
| Drawbridge: | a wooden bridge leading to a gateway, capable of being raised or lowered |
| Drum Tower: | a round tower built into a wall |
| Dungeon: | jail or place of imprisonment, usually found in one of the towers |
| Enceinte: | an enclosing wall, usually exterior, of a fortified place |
| Embrasure: | the low segment of the altering high and low segments of a battlement |
| Escalade: | scaling of a castle wall |
| Finial: | a slender piece of stone used to decorate the tops of the merlons |
| Forebuilding: | a projection in front of a keep or donjon, containing the stairs to the main entrance |
| Garderobe: | latrine or toilet |
| Gate House: | the complex of towers, bridges, and barriers built to protect each entrance through a castle or town wall |
| Hall: | principal living quarters of a medieval castle or house |
| Hoarding: | covered wooden gallery affixed to the top of the outside of a tower or curtain to defend the castle |
| Inner Ward or Bailey: | open area in the center of a castle |
| Keep: | the inner stronghold of the castle |
| Machicolation: | a projection in the battlements of a wall with openings through which missiles could be dropped on besiegers |
| Mangonel: | stone:throwing machine worked by torsion, used as a siege weapon against castles |
| Merlon: | part of a battlement, the square "sawtooth" between crenels |
| Meurtriere: | arrow loop, slit in battlement or wall to permit firing of arrows or for observation |
| Moat: | a deep trench usually filled with water that surrounded a castle |
| Motte: | an earthwork mound on which a castle was built |
| Murder Holes: | holes or slots between the main gate and a inner portcullis where arrows, rocks, and hot oil could be dropped on attackers |
| Oilette: | a round opening at the base of a loophole |
| Oriel Window: | projecting room on an upper floor, later an upper-floor bay window |
| Oubliette: | a dungeon reached by a trap door |
| Palisade: | a sturdy wooden fence built to enclose a site until a permanent stone wall could be constructed |
| Parapet: | protective wall at the top of a fortification, around the outer side of the wall-walk |
| Portcullis: | vertical sliding wooden grille shod with iron suspended in front of a gateway designed to protect the gate |
| Postern Gate: | a secondary gate or door often located at the rear of the castle |
| Putlog Hole: | a hole intentionally left in the surface of a wall for insertion of a horizontal pole |
| Revet: | face with a layer of stone, stone slabs etc., for more strength. Some earth mottes were revetted with stone |
| Sapping: | undermining, as of a castle wall |
| Screens: | wooden partition at the kitchen end of a hall, protecting a passage leading to the buttery, pantry, and kitchen |
| Solar: | originally a room above ground level, but commonly applied to the great chamber or a private sitting room off the great hall |
| Springald: | war engine of the catapult type, employing tension |
| Trebuchet: | war engine developed in the Middle Ages employing counterpoise |
| Turning Bridge: | a drawbridge that pivoted in the middle |
| Turret: | a small tower rising above and resting on one of the main towers, usually used as a look out point |
| Wall Walk: | the area along the tops of the walls from which soldiers could defend the castle |
| Ward: | courtyard or bailey |
FAQs
What is a castle answer? ›
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars usually consider a castle to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble.
What are parts of a castle called? ›Castle Terminology
| Allure or Wall-walk: | passage behind the parapet of a castle wall |
|---|---|
| Hall: | principal living quarters of a medieval castle or house |
| Hoarding: | covered wooden gallery affixed to the top of the outside of a tower or curtain to defend the castle |
| Inner Ward or Bailey: | open area in the center of a castle |
In these early examples, arrowslits were positioned to protect sections of the castle wall, rather than all sides of the castle. In the 13th century, it became common for arrowslits to be placed all around a castle's defences.
What are the tops of castle walls called? ›Historically, battlements were usually narrow walls at the top of the outermost walls of a castle. Battlements have several important parts. The short, topmost part of the wall was called the parapet. It included the crenels, gaps in the wall spaced at regular intervals.
What is a castle in simple words? ›castle. noun [ C ] /ˈkæs·əl/ a large building with strong walls, built in the past by a king or other important person for protection against attack.
What are the four types of castles? ›There were four types of medieval castle. In order of appearance, these types were: the motte and bailey, wooden tower keep, stone tower keep, and stone concentric walled castle.
What is the big room in a castle called? ›A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages, and continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great chamber for eating and relaxing.
What is the strongest part of a castle called? ›Particularly large towers are often the strongest point of the castle: the keep or the bergfried. As the gate is always a vulnerable point of a castle, towers may be built near it to strengthen the defences at this point.
What is the entrance to a castle called? ›A portcullis is a heavy castle door or gate made of metal strips that form a grid. A castle guardian might lower the portcullis to protect the people inside from an invading army. It was common during medieval times for castles to be protected by a portcullis or two.
What is a bridge to a castle called? ›Drawbridge / Turning Bridge
A movable bridge at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat or ditch. Drawbridges provide access across a moat or ditch but can quickly be raised from within the castle to deny entry to an enemy.
What is a balcony on a castle called? ›
Hoarding - A temporary wooden balcony suspended from the tops of walls and towers before a battle, from which missiles and arrows could be dropped or fired accurately toward the base of the wall. Inner Curtain - The high wall that surrounds the inner ward. Inner Ward - The open area in the center of a castle.
What is the walkway in a castle called? ›Alure (Wall Walk)
The walkway along the higher and interior part of a wall which often gives access to the higher floors of towers within the wall. Typically protected by battlements.
The central tower in a motte and bailey castle was known as the keep. The height of the keep depends on how big the castle is, or how wealthy its owner is!
What are the up and down bits on a castle called? ›A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles from within the defences.
What is the square part of a castle called? ›Battlements were the square-shaped part of the walls around the top of the castle. They usually had a walkway behind them so that soldiers could stand there when looking out for potential threats. They were also useful for soldiers who were defending the castle during an attack.
What is a castle 🏰? ›a large building or group of buildings fortified with thick walls, battlements, and often a moat; castles were the strongholds of noblemen in the Middle Ages. 2. any massive dwelling somewhat like this. 3. a safe, secure place; refuge.
What qualifies something as a castle? ›A castle is fundamentally two things, a residence for a laird, and a place that offers significant protection. If it's only one or the other, that's problematic. A grand building with no defensive features would be a palace, chateau or country house.
What makes a castle a castle and not a mansion? ›The main difference between a castle and a manor house was that a castle was fortified for the purpose of defense, while manor houses usually weren't fortified. Both structures were used as homes for medieval lords, and were usually surrounded by farmland.
What was the main purpose of a castle? ›Medieval castles were designed to be both defensive structures and the residences of noblemen. From the very first earthwork enclosures built by the Normans after the invasion of 1066, castles were as much about status as they were about war.