In
fortification, coffer a hollow lodgment, against a dry
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
, the upper part being made of pieces of
timber raised about two feet above the level of the moat. This elevation has hurdles filled with earth which serves as a
parapet with
embrasures. The coffer is similar to the
caponier. The difference is that the former may be made beyond the
counterscarp, and the latter is always in the moat. Another difference is that the coffer takes the whole breadth of the moat while the caponier does not.
[''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1823) vol. 6]
p. 248
(Note: the article is absent in the 1911 edition)
See also
*
Cofferdam
References
{{reflist
Fortification (architectural elements)