Pillow mound 40m east of Legis Tor forming part of Legistor Warren

Reasons for Designation

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and, because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most complete examples of upland relict landscape in the whole country. The great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards. The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land-use through time. Warrens are areas of land set aside for the breeding and management of rabbits or hares. They usually include a series of purpose-built breeding places, known as pillow mounds and buries, vermin traps and enclosures designed to contain and protect the animals, and living quarters for the warrener who kept charge of the warren. Pillow mounds are low oblong-shaped mounds of soil and/or stones in which the animals lived. They are usually between 15m and 40m long and between 5m and 10m wide. Most have a ditch around at least three sides to facilitate drainage. Inside are a series of narrow interconnecting trenches. These were excavated and covered with stone or turf before the mound was constructed. Vermin traps of various kinds are found within most warrens. These include a small stone-lined passage into which the predator was funnelled by a series of ditches or walls. Over 100 vermin traps have been recorded on the Moor, with the majority lying in the Plym Valley. Warren boundaries were often defined by a combination of natural features such as rivers. Within the warrens themselves smaller enclosed areas defined by a ditch and bank are sometimes found, and some of these may have been specialised breeding areas. Many of the warrens on the Moor contain a house in which the warrener lived. Most of the surviving warren earthworks probably date to between the 17th century and the later 19th century, with some continuing in use into the early 20th century. At least 22 warrens are known to exist on the Moor and together they contribute to our understanding of the medieval and post-medieval exploitation of the area. All well-preserved warrens are considered worthy of protection.

The pillow mound 40m east of Legis Tor forms part of the nationally important Legistor Warren and contains information relating to the exploitation of rabbits in the Upper Plym valley.

Details

This monument includes a pillow mound situated near the summit of Legis Tor overlooking the valley of the River Plym. The pillow mound survives as a 16.5m long, 4.3m wide and 0.7m high, flat-topped, oblong shaped mound of soil and stone surrounded on four sides by the 1.6m wide and 0.3m deep ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the mound. The long sides of the mound are crudely revetted with drystone walling and a clearly defined shallow gully leads south for 4m from the lower end of the mound. These gullies have traditionally been interpreted as drainage ditches, but they may also have served as preferred access routes for rabbits and vermin. Traps placed within these gullies could have been used to control both rabbit and vermin populations. This mound forms part of the rabbit warren at Legis Tor which is sometimes called New Warren and may have operated jointly with Trowlesworthy Warren until recent times when it became an adjunct of Ditsworthy Warren. The name New Warren strongly suggests that there was an earlier warren on the site. Dating of the warren is difficult because there are no early documentary references, although it is generally accepted that the warren on the other side of the River Plym at Trowlesworthy had been established by 1292. All fences and fenceposts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

24129

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Crossing, W, Crossing's Dartmoor Worker, (1992), 61
Linehan, C D, Medieval Archaeology in Deserted Sites and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, Vol. 10, (1966), 141

Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX56NE239,

End of official list entry

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