Peel towers were forts built near the border between England and Scotland in medieval times. They protected their owners from raiders who crossed the border in search of plunder. The main living room of a peel tower was on the second floor. It was reached by a stone staircase or by a ladder that could be raised in time of attack or siege. Originally, the word peel meant the wooden fence protecting the tower. Later, the word was applied to the tower itself. In some areas, the spelling pele is used.
Peel towers became obsolete in the 1600’s, when James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England, stopped the border raids. Ruins of peel towers stand in many places in the border counties of England and Scotland, known as Border Country (see Border Country ).
