Editing Portcullis

{{Short description|Heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications}}
[[File:Cahir Castle Portcullis by Kevin King.jpg|thumb|Portcullis at Desmond Castle, [[Adare]], [[County Limerick]], Ireland]]
[[File:CagliariElephantPortcullis.jpg|thumb|The inner portcullis of the [[Torre dell'Elefante]] in [[Cagliari]], [[Sardinia]], Italy]]

A '''portcullis''' ({{etymology|fro|{{wikt-lang|fro|porte coleice}}|sliding gate}})<ref>{{OEtymD|portcullis}}</ref> is a heavy, vertically closing [[gate]] typically found in [[medieval fortification]]s. It consists of a latticed [[Grille (architecture)|grille]] made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.

==Usage==
[[File:Peterstor 3.jpg|thumb|left|Double portcullis gates at [[Petersberg Citadel]], Erfurt]]
Portcullises fortified the entrances to many [[medieval]] [[castle]]s, securely closing them off during times of attack or [[siege]]. Every portcullis was mounted in vertical grooves in the walls of the castle and could be raised or lowered quickly by using [[chain]]s or [[rope]]s attached to an internal [[winch]]. Portcullises had an advantage over standard gates in that they could be closed immediately at a time of crisis by a single guard.

Two portcullises to the main [[Gate|entrance]] would often be used. The one closer to the inside would be closed first, and then the one further away. This was used to trap enemies, and burning [[wood]] or fire-heated sand would usually be dropped onto them from [[murder-hole]]s or the roof. [[Early thermal weapons#Hot oil|Hot oil]], however, was not commonly used in this manner, contrary to popular belief, since oil was extremely expensive.<ref name="Kaufmann61">Kaufmann & Kaufmann, p. 61</ref> [[Arrowslit]]s in the sides of the walls enabled [[archers]] and [[crossbow]]men to kill the trapped group of attackers.

In England, working portcullises survive at the [[Tower of London]], [[Monk Bar]] in York, [[Hever Castle]] in Kent, and at the hotel conversion, [[Amberley Castle]].<ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=407172 |mname=Hever Castle |access-date= 4 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=536761 |mname=Monk Bar|access-date= 4 July 2011}}</ref> In Scotland, a working portcullis is at [[Edinburgh Castle]].

=={{Anchor|Beaufort portcullis}}Heraldry==
[[File:Beaufort Portcullis Badge of the Tudors.svg|thumb|Beaufort Portcullis badge of the Tudors]]
The portcullis was the heraldic badge of the [[House of Beaufort]], and the first Tudor king, [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], who was of matrilineal Beaufort descent, adapted both the portcullis and the [[Tudor rose]] into [[Royal Badges of England|Royal badges]] of the [[House of Tudor]]. Since then, the portcullis has been a moderately common [[motif (visual arts)|motif]] of English [[heraldry]], especially that heraldry dating from the Tudor period. The heraldic office of [[Portcullis Pursuivant|Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary]], a junior [[officer of arms]] in the [[College of Arms]] at [[London]], dates from this period.

Through [[Lord Charles Somerset]], son of [[Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort|The 5th Duke of Beaufort]], the portcullis has found its way into several South African coats of arms. Somerset established several towns during his governorship at the then-[[British Cape Colony|Cape Colony]] and named them for his family. These include [[Worcester, South Africa|Worcester]], [[Somerset West]], [[Fort Beaufort]], and [[Beaufort West]]. Institutions that derive the portcullis from these arms include a school, a chamber of commerce, and a rugby club. Other (around 30) South African coats of arms that include a portcullis are not necessarily related to either [[Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|Lord]] Charles Somerset or any of the towns named after and by him.

[[File:HM Customs Ensign.svg|right|thumb|The ensign of [[HM Customs and Excise]]]]
Although the [[Palace of Westminster]] served as the official [[royal residence]] for both Henry VII and [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] until 1530, the current use of the portcullis as a symbol of the palace and of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] does not date from that time. Rather, the symbol was developed as part of [[Charles Barry|Sir Charles Barry]]'s plans for the rebuilt palace after [[Burning of Parliament|the original burned down]] on 16 October 1834; he conceptualized the new palace as a "legislative castle", and the symbol of a castle gate&mdash;i.e., a portcullis&mdash;fit well with the scheme.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Christopher|title=The Great Palace: The Story of Parliament|page=[https://archive.org/details/greatpalacestory00jone/page/113 113]|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|year=1983|location=London|isbn=978-0-563-20178-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/greatpalacestory00jone/page/113}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Quinault|first=Roland|year=1992|title=Westminster and the Victorian |periodical=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |jstor=3679100|publisher=Royal Historical Society|pages=79–104}}</ref>

Since then, the portcullis has become the primary symbol of Parliament; an office building for [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs), 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 realm]]s. For instance, the [[coat of arms of Canberra]] has a portcullis in its [[crest (heraldry)|crest]], preserving a connection between the British Parliament at Westminster and the [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] to which Canberra is home.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:BritishOneNewPenny.jpg|thumb|left|The portcullis symbol used on the [[Penny (British decimal coin)|British one penny coin]]]] -->
The badge, coat of arms, and flag of the [[Canada Border Services Agency]] all include a portcullis, symbolizing the agency's role as His Majesty's agents responsible for the border services of Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/herald-armoiries-eng.html|title=About the CBSA: CBSA Heraldry|website=Canadian Border Services Agency |publisher=The Government of Canada |date=21 January 2015| access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref> A portcullis was previously found on the [[Penny (British decimal coin)|British one-penny coin]] and on the [[Threepence (British coin)|predecimal thrupenny bit]]; this has since been replaced by a section of the [[royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom|Royal Arms of the United Kingdom]]. It was also featured in the now-defunct [[HM Customs and Excise]] in the United Kingdom and still appears in the rank insignia for the various grades of commissioner in the [[Australian Border Force]].

The portcullis may appear:

* as a charge in its own right, as in the [http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/great_london.html#richmond%20lb 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 [http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/thames_valley_chilterns.html#wallingford%20tc arms] of [[Wallingford, Oxfordshire|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 [https://web.archive.org/web/20090828061517/http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/east_anglia_essex.html#tendring%20dc 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 [https://web.archive.org/web/20161120205725/http://civicheraldry.co.uk/cornwall_wessex.html#winchester%20city 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==
{{commons category}}
* [[Drawbridge]]
*[[Hoarding (castles)]]
*[[Machicolation]]
*[[Sally port]]
*[[Yett]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |title=The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages |author1=Kaufmann, J.E. |author2=Kaufmann, H.W. |year=2001 |publisher=Greenhill Books |isbn=1-85367-455-9 }}

{{Fortifications}}

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[[Category:Castle architecture]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:Types of gates]]