portcullis

Counterweights for the sliding portcullis

A portcullis (from the French "porte coulissante" or gliding door) is a latticed grille made of wood, metal or a combination of the two. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege. Each portcullis was mounted in vertical grooves in castle walls and could be raised or lowered quickly by means of chains or ropes attached to an internal winch.

There would often be two portcullises to the main entrance. The one closer to the inside would be closed first and then the one farther away. This was used to trap the enemy and often, burning wood or fire-heated sand would be dropped onto them from the roof or murder-holes. Hot oil, however, was not commonly used in this manner, contrary to popular belief, since oil was extremely expensive.^[1] There were often arrowslits in the sides of the walls, enabling archers and crossbowmen to eliminate the trapped group of attackers.

In England, working portcullises survive at the Tower of London, Monk Bar^[2] in York, Amberley Castle and Hever Castle.^[3]

Heraldry

The ensign of HM Customs & Excise.

The portcullis was the heraldic badge of the House of Beaufort, and the first Tudor king, Henry VII, who was of matrilineal Beaufort descent, adapted both the portcullis and the Tudor rose as the Tudor badge. Since then, the portcullis has been a moderately common motif of English heraldry, especially that heraldry dating from the Tudor period. The heraldic office of Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary, a junior officer of arms in the College of Arms at London, dates from this period.

Although the Palace of Westminster served as the official royal residence for both Henry VII and Henry VIII until 1530, the current use of the portcullis as a symbol of the Palace and of Parliament does not date from that time. Rather, the symbol was developed as part of Sir Charles Barry's plans for the rebuilt Palace after the original burned down on 16 October 1834; he conceptualized the new Palace as a "legislative castle", and the symbol of a castle gate—i.e. a portcullis—fitted well with the scheme.^[4][5]

Since then, the portcullis has become the primary symbol of Parliament; an office building for Members of Parliament, opened in 2001, is named "Portcullis House". During the 20th century, use of the portcullis as a symbol of Parliament spread beyond Britain and to the other Commonwealth realms; for instance, the coat of arms of Canberra features a portcullis in its crest, consciously preserving a connection between the British Parliament at Westminster and the Australian Parliament to which Canberra is home.

A portcullis was previously found on the British one penny coin; this has since been replaced by a section of the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The badge of the now-defunct HM Customs and Excise also bore a portcullis, symbolising the agency's role as "gatekeeper" of goods into the UK, as well as the badge of the Canada's now-defunct Customs and Excise.

The portcullis may appear:

• as a charge in its own right, as in the arms of the London Borough of Richmond: Ermine, a portcullis chained or, a bordure gules charged with eight fleurs-de-lys or
  • with nail heads shown in a contrasting colour, as in the arms of Wallingford Town Council: Gules, a portcullis or studded sable, chained Argent, ensigned with an ancient crown of the second, all within an orle of bezants
  • with spikes of a contrasting colour, as in the crest of Tendring District Council: ...a portcullis or, nailed and spiked azure
• in the gateways of castles, fully lowered or part raised, as in the arms of Winchester City Council: ...five castles triple towered in saltire argent masoned proper the portcullis of each part-raised or...; though these do not appear in gateways of castles unless the blazon specifies them.

It is often shown with chains attached, even when the blazon does not mention them.

See also

• Arrow slit
• Castle
• Hoarding (castles)
• Machicolation
• Murder-hole
• Yett

Bibliography

• Kaufmann, J.E.; Kaufmann, H.W. (2001). The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-455-9. 

References

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