Structure of the Wall:

The town wall was designed for the sole purpose of defense and security. The material which composed the wall was stone, excavated from local quarries. The thick wall was actually two separate walls. The space in between was filled with the refuse from the castle construction, usually mixed with mortar to create a type of cement. The outer casing of the wall was called ashlar, and was very strong and durable to prevent enemy penetration through them. The inner part of the wall consisted of large, rough stone. The walls were approximately twenty feet tall and eight feet in width. At 150 feet intervals along the wall towers called bastions were located. They were about 10 feet higher than the surrounding walls. The wall was also sharply thicker at the base, known at the wall's footings or batter. This allowed the people on top of the town wall to push large objects over onto would-be attackers, causing the objects to bounce off the walls and strike the attackers. During an attack, various other items were thrown over: stone projectiles, hot oil, water, feces, and many other potentially dangerous objects. Also, along the top of the walls, know as the battlement or allure, were vertical spiked objects called merlons, containing slits through which archers could attack. There were holes to either sides of the merlon, called crenels or embrasures. Holes were also created in the walls, called putlog holes. Putlogs, or small poles, were inserted in these holes. The putlogs were used as base supports for balconies, called hoardings or brattices, on which archers and droppers could stand. Additionally, walls occasionally had chutes called machicolations through which projectile could be dropped towards the opposing forces.

Structure of the Towers:

Along the extensive town wall were massive obtrusions, known as towers or bastions. The tower was usually 10 feet taller than the surrounding wall, and were approximately 8 feet thick. The wall towers were usually not lived in. The tower was one of the main connecting mediums between two segments of wall, the other being a small plank of wood, which, if the castle wall was violated, could be removed to isolate the attackers unless they took another adjacent tower. The only way up one of the towers was a narrow set of stairs which only one person at a time could travel along. This made for very easy defense. Archers were usually positioned on the towers, be cause of their firing range, and the distance they could hit from up there. There were special arrow holes cut in the tower walls for the archers to shoot through. In addition, the archers could fire down from the tower roof, while still being protected by the merlons.

Structure of the Gate:

The town gate was potentially the most exposed and weakest part of the town wall. Therefore, the gate and surrounding defensive structures were built with a purpose of overkill. The gate was constructed from a series of parallel arches. A roof was then created over the arches. The arches generally were the connecting medium between two bastions. The first purpose of the town gate was to deny access in times of danger. This was done through a series of blocking structures. The first was a portcullis, an oak framework covered with iron. It often had spikes at the end of it. It was lowered from the space above the gate and arches until it struck the ground and prevented access. This was often done with the use of chains and pulleys. This was the main barrier to entry. The secondary barrier was a heavy, iron reinforced, oaken door. This was closed and a wooden bar was fastened in front of it. The bar was passed through loops in the door and then slid through holes in the wall. Occasionally, there was more than one set of doors. If any enemy soldiers were unfortunate enough to get into the space between the arches, he was confronted with a barrage of defensive fire from the surrounding towers, arrow holes cut in the wall, and even from holes cut in the ceiling above the gateway. The holes in the ceiling were aptly named "murder holes". Through this system of interconnected defenses the town wall's main gate was made almost impenetrable.