What is the medieval term for a strong stone residence in a town, often owned by nobles?

The story behind the answer

In many medieval towns, elite families built tall, multi-storey stone residences with thick walls, narrow windows, and defensible entrances. These compact vertical dwellings functioned as both home and fortress, signaling status while offering protection during feuds or raids. Features could include spiral stairs, crenellations, and sometimes machicolations, optimized for defense in tight urban streets.

They flourished from the late Middle Ages in places like Ireland and Scotland (notably along the Anglo-Scottish Borders) and in Italian city-states, where rival families raised skyline-dominating towers such as those in San Gimignano. By contrast, a stone keep is the central stronghold of a full castle complex, a burgage tenement is an urban plot leased to townspeople for house and garden, and “urban manor” isn’t a standard medieval term for a fortified residence.