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A glossary of castle terminology

There are many specialist and obscure words used to describe castles and their constituent parts. Some words are medieval in origin, or even derived from French or Latin, while others, such as “moat” and “motte” for example, sound confusingly similar but mean something quite different.

To help you negotiate your way through castle descriptions we’ve put together a glossary of terms with explanations for each.

Craignethan Castle, Lanarkshire

Craignethan Castle, Lanarkshire

arrow loop – a narrow opening in a wall to allow defenders to fire arrows through. Typically either a vertical slit or cruciform in shape. See also “loophole”.

bailey – the area enclosed within a “courtyard” wall. See also “motte and bailey” and “ward”.

blockhouse – a dedicated artillery fortification usually consisting of an isolated fortified building.

bastle house or bastel house – a fortified farmhouse found throughout the Border country of Scotland and England. Typically they have thick walls with space on the ground floor for animals and living quarters above. The name is said to derive from the French word “bastille” meaning a “fortified building”.

courtyard castle – a style of castle in which all of the buildings are built against the inside of the courtyard wall.

donjon – the main central tower of a castle containing the principal apartments. They were strongly-built in order to be self-sufficient during a siege if the rest of the castle was captured. See also “keep”.

dry moat – a wide, deep defensive ditch surrounding a castle. See also “moat”.

enceinte – from an Old French meaning “to surround” this can mean either the wall around a castle or the space enclosed within it. It can also be used to describe a castle with no central keep.

gatehouse – a tower containing a fortified gate into the castle.

gatehouse keep – a castle where the main tower or keep also functions as a gatehouse.

gun loop – an opening in a wall to allow defenders to fire guns through. Originally similar in shape to “arrow loops” by the early 16th century they were typically small and round on the outside with horizontal splayed edges on the inside to allow a long gun to be angled. See also “loophole”.

hall house – a building containing the principal rooms of the castle which is typically low and rectangular rather than tall and square like a “keep”. See also “hall keep”.

hall keep – contains the principal rooms of the castle but is typically low and rectangular rather than tall and square like a “keep”. See also “hall house”.

keep – the main strong central tower of a castle. Containing the principal apartments, they were designed to be self-sufficient in the event of a siege where the rest of the castle was captured. See also “donjon”.

loophole – an opening in a wall to allow defenders to fire through. See also “arrow loop” and “gun loop”.

moat – a wide, deep defensive ditch surrounding a castle often, but not always, filled with water. See also “dry moat”.

motte – a raised earth mound on which a wood or stone tower would be built. See also “motte and bailey”.

motte and bailey – a style of castle consisting of a tower on a raised earth mound sitting within a wider courtyard wall. See also “motte”.

palisade – a strong fence constructed from wooden stakes driven into the ground vertically.

peel tower – a castle consisting of a large, isolated tower typically without any surrounding walls. Common throughout the Border country of Scotland and England. See also “tower house”.

ringwork – a castle surrounded by ditches and ramparts topped with a palisade or wall.

shell keep – a later wall built around the top of a “motte” to replace the original smaller tower and enclose the summit.

tower house – a large, free-standing tower typically without any surrounding walls. See also “peel tower”.

ward – the area enclosed within a “courtyard” wall. See also “bailey”.

yett – an old Scots word for a hinged gate consisting of a grille of wrought iron latticework and typically used to protect the entrance to tower houses or the keeps of castles.

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Castles by county

Aberdeenshire

210 castles

Angus

126 castles

Argyll

92 castles

Ayrshire

187 castles

Banffshire

61 castles

Berwickshire

123 castles

Bute

10 castles

Caithness

31 castles

Clackmannanshire

10 castles

Dumfriesshire

213 castles

Dunbartonshire

40 castles

East Lothian

88 castles

Fife

167 castles

Inverness-shire

67 castles

Kincardineshire

55 castles

Kinross-shire

8 castles

Kirkcudbrightshire

95 castles

Lanarkshire

168 castles

Midlothian

153 castles

Morayshire

46 castles

Nairnshire

15 castles

Orkney

22 castles

Peeblesshire

105 castles

Perthshire

204 castles

Renfrewshire

68 castles

Ross and Cromarty

52 castles

Roxburghshire

169 castles

Selkirkshire

44 castles

Shetland

3 castles

Stirlingshire

78 castles

Sutherland

25 castles

West Lothian

44 castles

Wigtownshire

83 castles

Related pages

A grey walk in North Berwick
A grey walk in North Berwick
A quick tour of Perthshire
A quick tour of Perthshire
Wet and windswept antiquities in Berwickshire
Wet and windswept antiquities in Berwickshire
Cairns Castle and Harperrig Reservoir
Cairns Castle and Harperrig Reservoir
Lochend Park and castle in Edinburgh
Lochend Park and castle in Edinburgh
Dunipace Castle and the Hills of Dunipace
Dunipace Castle and the Hills of Dunipace
Published on the 27th of April 2014 at 10:03 pm. Updated on the 2nd of May 2016 at 6:25 pm.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
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