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Glossary of Siege Warfare terms - part 2 - Page 2

© Alistair Boddy-Evans

Loop
The slit in the castle wall through which archers or hand-gunners could fire.

Machicolatioin
A permanent, stone version of a hourd built out from the side of the castle wall with holes in the floor to drop stones on attackers.

Motte
An artificial mound of earth which forms the foundation of an eleventh- or twelfth-century castle. Usually round and flat topped with a tower or other stronghold built on top. Formed as the strongest point of the castle.

Pentice
A lean-to structure built against the castle wall.

Portcullis
A wooden grill, sometimes covered in metal (and very rarely made just of metal) which was raised and lowered in grooves on either side of an entrance passage. Much harder to force open than a normal gate. In use since the Roman Empire.

Postern gate
A small gate, often only wide enough for a single person on foot to pass, which acted as a 'back-door' to the castle.

Rampart
A protective earth or stone wall surrounding a fortress.

References:
Castles by Tom McNeill, English Heritage Series, Batsford Press, 1992, ISBN 0-7134-7024-0.
The Architecture of Castles by R. Allen Brown, Batsford Press, 1984, ISBN 0-7134-4089-9.
The Castle in Medieval England by John Burke, Dorset Press, 1992, ISBN 0-88029-815-4.
Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience by Michael Prestwich, Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-300-07663-0.
Warfare in the Classical World by John Warry, Salamander Books, 1998, ISBN 1840650044.
Medieval Warfare Source Book by David Nicolle, Arms and Armour Press, 1995, ISBN 1-85409-236-7.
The Medieval Siege by Jim Bradbury, Boydell Press, 1992, ISBN 0-85115-312-7.

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