Peel, or PEEL-TOWER, the name given to fortified towers or small castles of the type common on the Scottish border. Originally 'peel' denoted the earthen works, surmounted by palisades, which surrounded and defended the courtyard and tower; but later on the name was applied to the tower itself. See BORDERS, CASTLE; and a monograph by G. Neilson (1896).
Peel
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 8: Peasant to Eoumelia, p. 8
Source scan(s): p. 0017