The castle’s barbican served as a first line of defense. The neck, a walled road, connected the barbican with the castle walls and was kept narrow to trap invading enemies. It was usually located next to the main gates, just a few meters from the castle.
A limited number of men were responsible for defending the castle from the barbican. Usually, a single knight controlled a handful of soldiers.
On top of the barbican, there were usually “murder holes“, openings in the ceiling that could be used to drop boiling liquid and missiles on the invading enemy. Some barbicans also had narrow slits on the sides from which defenders could shoot arrows and a heavy grilled door. This door (the Portcullis) had spikes and could be dropped on the enemy, injuring the attackers and blocking the passageway into the castle.