Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A pele tower is a small fortified tower, like a miniature castle. In warlike times in the English-Scottish border area they provided a refuge so that when cross-border raiding parties came the whole population of a village could take to the tower and wait for the marauders to depart. Peles are not usually found in larger places which have a castle, but in smaller settlements. They are often associated with a church: for example the pele tower in Embleton is a fine example of a vicar's pele and the one at Hulne Priory is in the grounds of the priory. Nowadays some are derelict while others have been converted for use in peacetime; the Embleton pele is now part of the vicarage and that on the Inner Farne is a home to bird wardens. The most obvious conversion needs will include access, which was originally difficult, and the provision of more and larger windows. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.