Our Castle Terminology Page is a short list of definitions used to describe the various parts of a castle
For easy reference and navigation castle terminology has been divided into two main headings - Castle Parts and Building Terms; where you will find a list of short definitions for the many terms associated with medieval castles used through out this website.
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.
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