Merlon
[mur-luhn]
Etymology: French, from Italian merlone, augmentative of merlo battlement, from Medieval Latin merulus, from Latin, merle
1) Part of a battlement, the square “sawtooth” between crenels.
(Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life in a Medieval Castle, 226)
2) Solid part of embattled parapet between embrasures, sometimes pierced with slit.
(Wood, Margaret. The English Medieval […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on August 27th, 2010 | No Comments »
Farleigh was the manor house of the family of Montfort. In 1369, Thomas Hungerford purchased it. Thomas was a citizen and merchant from New Sarum, or Salisbury, though he was of high standing as he was steward to John of Gaunt, and for a brief period, he was Speaker of the House of Commons. Thomas […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on April 28th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
West of Frome in Somerset, England, lies the ruins of the medieval castle of Nunney. Founded by Sir John Delamere, the castle consists of a single courtyard surrounded by a water moat fed by a natural stream. Delamere supposedly funded the construction through ransom money obtained from the wars with France during the 14th century.
The […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on December 8th, 2009 | No Comments »
Built by Roger de Montgomery on the site of an existing Saxon fortification, the castle of Arundel overlooks the River Arun in West Sussex. William the Conqueror granted Roger de Montgomery the land and charged him with the task of defending the southern coast of England from attack.
The oldest part of the castle is the […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on November 11th, 2009 | 5 Comments »
A special thanks to Joan Szechtman for allowing me to post her photos of Warwick Castle. Joan is the author of This Time, a novel about Richard III in the 21st century. Her two follow-up novels, Loyalty Binds Me and Strange Times, are already in development. Visit Joan at her Web site or blog.
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Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on October 21st, 2009 | No Comments »
Constructed around 914AD on the orders of Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, Warwick Castle was at first only an earthen rampart on top of a hill built to protect the citizens of Warwick from Danish invaders. Over the centuries, several additions were made to strengthen the defenses and update the fortification.
914 - Earthen rampart […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on October 14th, 2009 | 14 Comments »
From TopCastles.com:
“In Europe and Asia more than 10.000 medieval castles can be found. Topcastles.com selected the most beautiful and interesting castles and ranked them in a top 100 list. You can contribute by voting on your favorite castles: find the castle, click on it and submit your rating. At the end of a year all […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on September 21st, 2009 | 7 Comments »
My friend Linda McCabe has posted an article about a medieval castle being built in Arkansas. It’s part of a project to reconstruct a castle based on the actual methods used in the Middle Ages. The project is called the Ozark Medieval Fortress, and it began in June 2009. By 2010, the construction site will […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on July 29th, 2009 | 13 Comments »
Old Wardour Castle, located near Tisbury in the English county of Wiltshire, sits on a slight rise above a lake and was once the home of Baron John Lovell, the fifth Baron Lovell. John Lovell acquired the land from the St. Martin family when Sir Lawrence de St. Martin died in 1385, and John built […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on July 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »
The morning mist hovers over Loch Awe, and across the lake, on the northeastern edge, Kilchurn Castle and the mountains beyond reflect in the still waters, transporting visitors back to a time when the Campbells of Glenorchy ruled this region. All that stands today are the castle ruins, but Kilchurn was once the site of […]
Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on July 7th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
