A
castellan was the
governor or captain of a castellany and its
castle. The word stems from the Latin
Castellanus, derived from
castellum "castle". Sometimes also known as a
constable,
governor of the castle district or
captain, the
Constable of the Tower of
London is, in fact, a form of castellan. A castellan could be either male or female, as when, in 1194, Beatrice inherited her father's castellany of
Bourbourg upon the death of her brother, Roger.