“ The development of the medieval castle, in the 15th and 16th centuries, into houses arranged rather for residence than defence led to a corresponding widening of the meaning of the term château, which came to be applied to any seigniorial residence and so generally to all houses, especially country houses, of any pretensions (cf. the Ger. Schloss) . The French distinguish the fortified castle from the residential mansion by describing the former as the château fort, the latter as the château de plaisance. ”