Barmkin, also spelled barmekin or barnekin, is a Scots word which refers to a form of medieval and later defensive enclosure, typically found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland and the north of England. It has been suggested that etymologically the word may be a corruption of the word barbican or berm.[1][2] The barmkin would have contained ancillary buildings, and could be used to protect cattle during raids.
In 1535 a Parliament of James V of Scotland enacted that "every landed man dwelling in the inland or upon the borders having there a hundred pound land of new extent shall build a sufficient barmkin upon his heritage and lands in the most suitable place, of stone and lime, containing three score foot of the square, one ell thick and six ells high, for the protection and defence of him, his tenants and their goods in troublesome times, with a tower in the same for himself if he thinks it expedient."[3]
Places which had barmkins include Halton Castle, Cheshire, Smailholm Tower, Scottish Borders, and Crichton Castle, Midlothian. The barmkin survives at Hills Tower in Dumfries and Galloway.[4]
- ^ "Barmekin of Echt, fort, Barmekin Hill (SM57)". Historic Environment Portal. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020.
- ^ "barmkin". A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700). Dictionaries of the Scots Language. 1937. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021.
- ^ The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2020), 1535/31.
- ^ Maxwell-Irving, Alastair M. T. (2014). The Border Towers of Scotland 2: Their Evolution and Architecture. Stirling: Alastair M. T. Maxwell-Irving. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-907931-37-6.