Castle Terms - B

BAILEY: defended courtyard or ward of a castle. Open area enclosed by the castle walls. A ward.

BALLISTA: early missile weapons resembling large crossbow on a carriage, firing metal bolts, arrows or stone slugs.

BALUSTRADE: ornamental parapet of posts and railing.

BARBICAN: fortified outwork defending the gate of a castle or town.

BAR-HOLE: holes behind door to receive timber bar used as door bolt.

BARMKIN: Scottish term for defended courtyard of a castle. Also, the wall enclosing such an area.

BARONIAL CASTLE: a private castle.

BARREL VAULT: A vault in the shape of a half barrel split lengthways.

BARTIZAN: overhanging corner turret. Small turret.

BASE-COURT: the outer or lower ward of a castle.

BASEMENT: a secure storage space.

BASTION: an open projecting work, at the corner of a fortification.

BASTEL-HOUSE: a poor mans pele. A small stone house with provisions for cattle on the ground floor, and living quarters above with small protected windows.

BATTER: inward and upward slope of a external wall.

BATTLEMENT: jagged stonework protecting the wall walk.

BAWN: bailey or ward. A defended courtyard of a castle.

BEAR: a tower similar to the belfry.

BELFRY: siege tower; wooden tower mounted on wheels or rollers, often covered with wet hides as protection against fire. Many had drop-bridges at the top, so that attackers could fight their way across on to the towers or wall walks.

BELLCOTE: Small gabled or roofed housing for a bell.

BENEFICE: source of income.

BERM: flat area between base of wall and edge of ditch or moat.

BESIEGE: surrounding a castle in order to cut off its supplies and make the occupants surrender.

BOSS: an ornamental projection covering the intersection of the ribs in a vault.

BRATTICING: wooden housing erected on top of walls. When erected on top of towers, sometimes also known as "war-head".

BRETASCH: Wooden tower or wooden defence.

BOLT: a short arrow fired from a crossbow.

BOON DAY: compulsory work day when manor workers helped in the lord's fields.

BORE: iron-tipped battering ram for attacking masonry, also known as pick.

BOTTLER: a person who presided over the buttery.

BOWER: the lady's apartment, or suite. Withdrawing-room and sleeping apartment.

BRATTICE: a wooden perimeter defence.

BRESSUMER: beam that supports the hoarding. A massive beam spanning an opening.

BUTLER: a person in charge of the bottles of beer and wine.

BUTTERY: room where wine was dispensed from barrels.

BOTTLERY: Usually located between the hall and the kitchen. A store room for provisions.

BUTTRESS: thickening of a wall for strength and support.

BUTTS: targets for town archery practice.