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Keep
Principal inner tower of a castle; sometimes called 'donjon'
Motte & Bailey
The bailey was a forecourt, surrounded by an earth rampart the motte was the mound upon
which stood the lord's house or keep. The lord's retainers lived in a wooden hall in the
bailey. The whole was enclosed by a wooden fortification. The motte and Bailey castle was
introduced by the Normans.
Portcullis
A defensive gateway made of heavy grating, raised and lowered from the inside.
Bailey
The court or space between the fortified outer walls and the inner
keep, which in Norman times was call a Motte, being a mound to house the lord's house or
keep. The bailey contained the houses of the retainers.
Barbican
A defensive outer tower before the gate of a castle
Curtain Wall
Part of a castle wall stretching between the fortified towers
Garderobe
A castle privy built into the thickness of a wall. With a shaft
underneath, emptying usually into the moat
Additonal Information
The Medieval Castle
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About Castles
Castles
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Medieval Castle
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© Alcester & District Local History Society 1991