Glossary | Sussex Castles | Richard Bird

Flying Buttress

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:19:29 -0400

A flying buttress is a buttress that is built as a pillar away from the wall it is supporting. The wall and pillar only connect at the top of the buttress. Shown are some flying butresses at Boxgrove Priory.

Reredorter

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:17:03 -0400

A monks communal toilet. Waste usually flowed down an open channel into a nearby river or stream. Pictured is the reredorter at Battle abbey.

Rampart

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:13:03 -0400

A defensive bank of earth, often topped with a curtain wall or bastion. Pictured is a rampart at Arundel castle.

Nave

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:05:03 -0400

The central part of a church where the congregation gathers to worship. Often has a central aisle leading to the alter. Pictured is the nave of the priory church of St Mary and St Blaise of Boxgrove, Sussex.

Battlements

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:10:56 -0400

Battlements are an indented defensive parapet at the top of castle walls. They were constructed to protect defenders from the arrows and projectiles of attacking forces. Pictured are some the battlements at Bodiam castle. Bodiam was built towards the end of the castle building age and saw little military action.

Turret

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:44:03 -0400

A small tower, often only large enough for a single guard or watchman. Pictured is a turret at Bodiam castle.

Transept

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:43:48 -0400

The part of the church that is at right angles to the main body of the church that provides many churches with their distinctive cruciform shape. Not all churches have transepts and they were often built to allow accommodation a large number of brothers or clergy. Pictured is Boxgrove Priory, showing the north transept and the overall cruciform shape.

Presbytery

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:43:13 -0400

A area of an abbey or priory reserved for the brothers worship. Pictured is the presbytery of Bayham Abbey. The large plinth in the foreground is the high alter.

Postern Tower

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:42:58 -0400

A tower guarding a side or rear entrance to a castle. Pictured is the postern tower of Bodiam castle. There was a drawbridge at this tower once to connect the tower to to the shore.

Portcullis

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:42:46 -0400

A strong, heavy wooden or iron grating used to protect a castle entrance. Set in groove in the wall. Could be raised and lowered by a system of winches and counterweights in the gatehouse. Pictured is the portcullis of Bodiam castle.

Parapet

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:42:33 -0400

A low outer wall built next the walkway on top of a castle curtain or other defensive wall. Usually with square cut gaps or crenels, allowing castle defenders to fire arrows or other projectiles at attackers. The parapet pictured is at Arundel castle and has a commanding view over the Sussex Weald.

Oubliette

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:42:19 -0400

A underground prison, with only a hole in the ceiling for access. The word oubliette is French in origin and means forgotten place. Pictured laft is a possible oubliette at Pevensey castle. However, there is some debate as to whether this underground chamber was built as a prison or for some other purpose.

Motte

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:42:03 -0400

A motte is a raised raised mound on which a keep or defensive tower was built. Many norman castles were of the “motte and bailey” design. The norman invaders and occupiers of saxon england needed many defensive positions from which to subjugate the saxon population and to hold the land they had taken.

Most castles, such as Arundel, pictured, had a single motte, but some castles such as Lewes had two.

Moat

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:41:52 -0400

Moats are a deep, broad, water filled ditch that create a defensive barrier around the castle. Some moats were completely man-made, but sometimes included a nearby river or lake as part of the moat. Moats were used to defend buildings other than castles. Pictured right is the moat and gatehouse at Michelham priory, a fortified monastery.

Merlons

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:41:42 -0400

Merlons are higher sections of parapet wall that provided castle defenders protection against arrows and other projectiles fired by besieging forces, Pictured is a parapet on Arundel castles, showing merlons and crenels.

Lavortorium

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:41:21 -0400

A place in an abbey priory where the brothers could wash their hands before eating. The latrine was a separate room know as the Reredorter. Shown is the lavatorium at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire.

Keep

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:38:30 -0400

The main, central, fortified tower of a castle. Used as the residence for the lord and lady and their primary followers. Keeps were often built on a natural hill or raised mound known as a Motte. Pictured is the keep of Arundel castle.

Frater

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:38:19 -0400

Frater was the refectory or dining area of the monastery or priory. The frater of Bayham Abbey is shown left. It should be noted that after Bayham fell into ruin, landowners remodelled the ruin to be more picturesque. The crown on the column in the middle of the picture is unlikely to be in its original placement.

Dungeon

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:37:45 -0400

The word dungeon was originally derived from the French word donjon. This was the central keep or tower of the castle which served as living quarters for the castles inhabitants, but was occasionally used for holding prisoners.

Only later did the term dungeon come to mean an underground, windowless room used to hold enemies or hostages captive. Conditions in dungeons were often dark, cold, damp and sometimes prone to flooding.

Pictured right is the entrance to the dungeon at Hastings castle.

Drum Tower

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:37:33 -0400

A circular tower. Drum towers were common features of castle architecture and were often built, with connecting sections of curtain wall, to form the outer perimeter defenses of the castle.

Pictured right is a drum tower at Bodiam Castle