PORTCULLIS (from the Fr. Porte-coulisse, porte, a gate, Lat. porta, and coulisse, a groove, used adjectivally for " sliding," from couler, to slide or glide, Lat. colare; the Fr. equivalents are herse, a harrow, and coulisse; Ger. Fallgatter; Ital. saraci

This article appears in Volume V22, Page 112 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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PORTCULLIS (from the Fr. Porte-coulisse, porte, a gate, Lat. porta, and coulisse, a groove, used adjectivally for " sliding," from couler, to slide or glide, Lat. colare; the Fr. equivalents are herse, a harrow, and coulisse; Ger. Fallgatter; Ital. saraci nesca), a strong-framed grating of oak, the

lower

LOWER

points shod with

iron

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

, and sometimes entirely made of metal, hung so as to slide up and- down in grooves with counterbalances, and intended to protect the gateways of castles, &c. The defenders having opened the

gates

GATES, HORATIO (1728-1806)

and lowered the ;portcullis, could send arrows and darts through the gratings. A portcullis was in existence until

modern

MODERN

times in a gateway at

York

YORK
YORK (
HOUSE
- HOUSE
- HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
  Gothic
  - GOTHIC
  it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)
OF)
YORK, EDMUND OF
LANGLEY
- LANGLEY, SAMUEL PIERPONT (1834-1906)
, DUKE OF (1341-1402)
EDWARD
- EDWARD
.html">YORK,
EDWARD
- EDWARD
YORK, FREDERICK
AUGUSTUS
- AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)
, DUKE OF (1763-1827)
YORK, RICHARD, DUKE

. The Romans used the portcullis in the defence of gateways. It was called cataracta from the Gr. Karappiurr7s, a waterfall (KaTappityncreat, to fall down). Vegetius (De re milit. iv. 4) speaks of it as an old means of defence, and it has been suggested that in Psalm xxiv. 7, 9, " Lift up your heads, oh ye

gates

GATES, HORATIO (1728-1806)

," &c., there is an allusion to a similar contrivance. Remains of a cataracta are clearly seen in the gateway of Pompeii. The Italian name saracinesca originates from the crusades. (See GATE.)

End of Article: PORTCULLIS (from the Fr. Porte-coulisse, porte, a gate, Lat. porta, and coulisse, a groove, used adjectivally for " sliding," from couler, to slide or glide, Lat. colare; the Fr. equivalents are herse, a harrow, and coulisse; Ger. Fallgatter; Ital. saraci

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