A yett is a gate or grille of latticed

Latticework

Latticework is a framework consisting of a criss-crossed pattern of strips of building material, typically wood or metal. The design is created by crossing the strips to form a network...

 wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

s. Unlike a portcullis

Portcullis

A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...

, which is raised and lowered vertically using mechanical means, yetts are hinged in the manner of a traditional gate or door, and secured by bolts attached to the yett, or by long bars drawn out from the wall or gateway.

Geographical distribution

Yetts are predominantly found in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 – where most towers, particularly the later ones, were equipped with them rather than portcullises – but some iron gates are found in the Border

Anglo-Scottish border

The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...

 counties of England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. While few references to yetts exist outside Scotland, an English report of 1416 on Roxburgh Castle

Roxburgh Castle

Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...

 (then in English hands) contained recommendations for the insertion of iron gates. Yetts are not restricted to any one region or district within Scotland, but are widespread throughout.

Similar grille constructions, frequently also referred to as yetts, were used in Scotland over windows and other openings. These were typically fixed in place, often set into the jambs, sills and lintels.

Origins and use

The earliest references to yetts date from the 14th century. Exchequer Rolls from 1377 refer to a "fabricated iron gate", part of the defences for David's Tower in Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...

. Yetts were also appearing in other castles at about the same time. Craigmillar

Craigmillar

Craigmillar , from the Gaelic Crag Maol Ard, meaning 'High Bare Rock', is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about south east of the city centre, with Duddingston to the north and Newcraighall to the east.- History :...

, built soon after 1374, reputedly contained a yett, and Doune Castle (c. 1380) still retains its original double-leafed yett; a similar double-leafed yett is present at Balvenie

Balvenie

The Balvenie Distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland owned by William Grant & Sons.-William Grant:...

, but its age is uncertain. By the 15th century, yetts and window-grilles had become standard features within Scottish castles and towers.

The yett was frequently used as cheaper alternative to the portcullis, since it was simpler in concept, less cumbersome and more practical. However, it was also used within more complex defensive arrangements. The 14th century castle at Doune

Doune Castle

Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling district of central Scotland. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It lies north-west of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth...

, in Perthshire

Perthshire

Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...

, had a portcullis in the main gateway supplemented by a yett, with a second yett at the far bailey end of the passage. The yetts each had two leaves, with a wicket gate

Wicket gate

A wicket gate is a small gate or door, particularly one built into a larger one. The cricket term "wicket" comes from this usage. The term wicket gate is also used in English to refer to automatic ticket barriers or older staffed ticket gates on Japan's railway network...

 inserted within one of the leaves. Commonly, the yett would be placed behind a wooden door, providing additional security should the outer door be burned.

Being a defensive structure, royal warrants were required before a yett could be added to any house or castle. These were frequently issued with other licenses for defensive features; for example, in 1501 John Murray of Cockpool was given a licence to build a tower at Comlongon

Comlongon Castle

Comlongon Castle is a tower house dating from the 15th century. It is located 1 km west of the village of Clarencefield, 10 km south-east of Dumfries, in south west Scotland. The original tower was extended by the addition of a 19th century baronial style mansion...

 with machicolation

Machicolation

A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...

s and "irneztteis and windois". Aggressors might attempt to remove yetts: in February 1489 the Hepburns in Stirlingshire brought an action against the Grahams who had taken away the iron yett of Bruce's Tower in order to gain possession.

Following the Union of the Crowns

Union of the Crowns

The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, and the consequential unification of Scotland and England under one monarch. The Union of Crowns followed the death of James' unmarried and childless first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of...

 in 1603, efforts were made by the government to control the disorder and reiving

Border Reivers

Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...

 in the borders. In November 1606 it was recognised that one of the impediments to the administration of justice in the area was the strength of the houses. Consequently, the Privy Council

Privy council

A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...

 ordered that all yetts should be removed from all houses belonging to those lower in rank than baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

s.

Construction

In Scotland, yetts were traditionally made using a "through and through

Through and through

Through and through describes a situation where an object, real or imaginary, passes completely through another object, also real or imaginary...

" construction, with both horizontal and vertical bars either woven alternatively around or through each other, creating a structure almost impossible to dismantle. The grille was left open. The usual method was to build the yett in quadrants with all the bars in a quadrant passing either vertically or horizontally through the mating bars as shown in the photograph. This method of construction for gates is not seen outside Scotland, although window grilles constructed in this manner are found in northern Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and Tyrol.

Grated windows in the Scottish style were traditional in Tyrol in the 15th century, and similar window grilles are seen a century later in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, particularly the 16th century Palazzo Ducale (although the bars are somewhat larger than those used in Scotland). It is likely the craft spread south from Tyrol to the Venetian Republic, but little apparent connection to the earlier Scottish technology, although there was some trade between Scotland and Germany.

Grated iron doors were found in England, but were constructed using a different method. For the English-style gate, the vertical bars all passed in front of the horizontal bars, and were riveted or fixed in place; the spaces were infilled with oak, making the gate solid. One notable exception, however, is constructed using the Scottish method: a yett from Streatlam Castle

Streatlam Castle

Streatlam Castle was a Baroque stately home located near the town of Barnard Castle in County Durham, England. Owned by the Bowes-Lyon family, Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the house was one of the family's two principal seats, alongside Glamis Castle in Forfarshire, Scotland. Streatlam...

, now held at Bowes Museum

Bowes Museum

The Bowes Museum has a nationally renowned art collection and is situated in the town of Barnard Castle, Teesdale, County Durham, England.The museum contains an El Greco, paintings by Francisco Goya, Canaletto, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, François Boucher and a sizable collection of decorative art,...

. Streatlam was rebuilt by Sir George Bowes

George Bowes (soldier)

Sir George Bowes was an English military commander.-Life:George Bowes was the son of Richard Bowes and Elizabeth Aske. At the age of fourteen he was married to Dorothy, daughter of Sir William Mallory of Studley Royal. He early went to the Scottish war, and in 1549 is mentioned as being in command...

 following damage in the 16th century; the Bowes family had connections in Scotland, which may have inspired the yett construction.

Since yetts were immensely heavy, and there is little evidence to suggest they were prefabricated, it is possible that many were made locally rather than transported large distances, either by local smiths or itinerant specialists. However, the yetts and window grilles of Scottish royal palaces were made to measure in the smithy of the royal artillery at Edinburgh Castle and transported to houses like Falkland Palace

Falkland Palace

Falkland Palace in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a former royal palace of the Scottish Kings. Today it is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, and serves as a tourist attraction.-Early years:...

, Hamilton Palace

Hamilton Palace

Hamilton Palace was a large country house located north-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695 and subsequently much enlarged. The house was demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence despite inadequate evidence for that...

 and Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the...

, and some for Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...

 were made in Linlithgow. Conventionally, window-grilles were built into the stone window-frames.

Costs

Some price data for the comparative cost of yetts survive in old accounts. In 1515, Robert Scott, smith, his brother and workman were paid £8-8s Scots for working yetts for Hume Castle

Hume Castle

Hume Castle is the heavily modified remnants of a late 12th or early 13th century "Castle of enceinte".The village of Hume is located between Greenlaw and Kelso, two miles north of the village of Stichill, in Berwickshire, Scotland....

. The iron cost itself cost £17-6s with £1 worth of coal. Records show that a yett constructed in 1568 for Kilravock Castle

Kilravock Castle

Kilravock Castle is located near the village of Croy, between Inverness and Nairn, in Highland, Scotland. It was begun around 1460, and has been the seat of the Clan Rose since that time. The castle is a composite of a 15th century tower house and several later additions...

 by a local smith weighed 34 stone, 3 lb, and cost £34-3s-9d and "three bolls meal, ane stane butter, and ane stane cheese."