Parts Of A Castle

Front 1

first courtyard inside the outer walls of the castle

Back 1

outer bailey

Front 2

inner courtyard protected by 2 walls

Back 2

inner bailey

Front 3

surrounded the courtyard of the catle; could be 10 or more feet thick

Back 3

wall or curtain

Front 4

strongest and most heavily fortified part of caslte; last line of defense; either round or square; housed the owner and his family; great hall found here

Back 4

keep

Front 5

could be raised or lowered



usually over a moat

Back 5

drawbridge

Front 6

low walls around top edge of tower or castle wall

Back 6

parapets

Front 7

stone projections in walls that were like brackets to support parapets

Back 7

corbels

Front 8

reason parapets were built; holes in parapets used for droopping all kinds of things

Back 8

machicolations

Front 9

important for placement of castles so couldn't tunnel

Back 9

rocky ledges

Front 10

foreward gate of castle located before the main gate; offered extra potection since weakest part of castle was the gate

Back 10

barbican

Front 11

back gate; supposed to be secret; used for attacking and surrounding the enemy outside the castle, as an escape or the coming and going of scouts and spies

Back 11

postern gate

Front 12

narrow openings in catle's towers through which archers fired the arrows on the enemy below

Back 12

arrow-loops

Front 13

main gate to castle; made of heavy wood and reinforced with iron grating; could be raised or lowered

Back 13

portcullis

Front 14

living quarters over main gate; became heavily fortified and very important; sometimes owner chose to live here

Back 14

gatehouse

Front 15

holes in ceilinhg just after the front gate

Back 15

murder holes