Castle Glossary
Many terms used in the description of castles have long since fallen out of common use or are somewhat specialised. This page collects together some of those terms as a reference. Terms are arranged alphabetically with a brief description of the meaning of each.
A
- Angle Buttress
- Buttress formed at the corner of a building by the extension of the walls.
- Apse
- A semicircular termination to a building.
B
- Barbican
- A fortification in placed in front of a gateway to protect it
- Barrel Vault
- A continuous vault with a semicircular or pointed profile.
- Bartizan
- A small turret or tower corbelled out from the exterior of a building.
- Base Cruck
- A timber framed construction in which the roof is supported by curved timbers rising from the walls rather than by aisle posts rising out of the floor.
- Berm
- A flat area between a wall or rampart and its ditch.
- Breastwork
- A timber palisade strengthening earthwork defences.
- Buttery
- The store room for beer and wine (bottles).
- Buttress
- The thickening of a wall to form a verticle projection in order to strengthen it.
C
- Camera
- A private room set apart from the more public areas
- Corbel Table
- A row of closely spaced corbels normally used to carry a floor or projecting parapet.
- Curtain Wall
- The outer wall running around the perimeter, enclosing baileys and other structures.
- Crenellation
- Parapet of a wall pierced by openings or embrasures.
D
E
F
G
- Garderobe
- A latrine, normally over a stone shaft or drain.
H
- Hall
- The principle room, used for eating, sleeping, etc.
I
- Inner Bailey
- The inner enclosure, normally containing domestic buildings, etc.
J
K
- Keep
- The defensivly strongest part of a castle, often independently defendable. The keep tended to be a strong tower set by itself, often with its own kitchen, hall, etc.
L
- Loggia
- A covered arcade or colonnade.
- Loop
- A small opening in a wall, usually to enable bows, or later cannon, to be fired through.
M
- Motte
- A large, often man made, mound. Motte's were often surmounted by a keep of some sort.
- Mullion
- A vertical division of the lights in a window
N
O
P
- Pantry
- Store room for bread and other provisions (from the french pain meaning bread).
- Pier
- A masonry column or support for an archway or vault.
- Portcullis
- A barrier protecting a gate, which could be made to rise and fall within a groove. Most often a heavy wooden grille the base of the vertical bars being metal tipped.
Q
R
- Rere-arch
- An arch supporting the inner face and core of a wall above a door or window.
- Rib
- A narrow projection supporting or strengthening a vault.
- Ringwork
- Earthworks which surround a stronghold in a ring.
- Rusticated
- Stones dressed flat on their margins, the rest being left rough.
S
- Screens Passage
- A service passage screened off at one end of the hall, leading to the kitchen, pantry and buttery.
- Springer
- The point from which an arch or vault is struck from a wall face.
- String-course
- Continuous horizontal moulding on a wall face, often defining floor levels.
T
- Transome
- A horizontal division of the lights in a window
U
V
- Vault
- An arched roof of stone.
W
X
Y
Z