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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

214 castles

Angus

135 castles

Argyll

93 castles

Ayrshire

198 castles

Banffshire

61 castles

Berwickshire

128 castles

Bute

10 castles

Caithness

31 castles

Clackmannanshire

10 castles

Dumfriesshire

228 castles

Dunbartonshire

42 castles

East Lothian

92 castles

Fife

173 castles

Inverness-shire

69 castles

Kincardineshire

57 castles

Kinross-shire

8 castles

Kirkcudbrightshire

97 castles

Lanarkshire

178 castles

Midlothian

158 castles

Morayshire

48 castles

Nairnshire

16 castles

Orkney

22 castles

Peeblesshire

113 castles

Perthshire

215 castles

Renfrewshire

77 castles

Ross and Cromarty

52 castles

Roxburghshire

195 castles

Selkirkshire

53 castles

Shetland

3 castles

Stirlingshire

85 castles

Sutherland

26 castles

West Lothian

45 castles

Wigtownshire

85 castles

Related pages

Dirleton Castle in East Lothian
Dirleton Castle in East Lothian
Garden of Cosmic Speculation plus castles
Garden of Cosmic Speculation plus castles
Inveraray Castle and standing stone
Inveraray Castle and standing stone
A doocot, a castle and a beach in East Lothian
A doocot, a castle and a beach in East Lothian
A pair of castles on the River Tweed
A pair of castles on the River Tweed
Dunbar harbour and castle
Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 17th of May 2014 at 10:03 pm. Updated on the 21st of July 2014 at 11:10 am.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

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