Pillow mound and animal run 830m north east of Trowlesworthy Warren House, forming part of Trowlesworthy 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 and animal run 830m north east of Trowlesworthy Warren House form part of the nationally important Trowlesworthy Warren and contain information relating to the exploitation of rabbits in the Upper Plym valley. The well preserved and complex animal run surrounding the pillow mound contains detailed archaeological information concerning the control of rabbits and vermin. This valley contains the densest concentration of pillow mounds and other structures associated with rabbit farming on the Moor, and makes an important contribution to understanding medieval land-use and economy.

Details

This monument includes a pillow mound and associated animal run situated on a gentle north west facing slope overlooking the River Plym. This mound and animal run form part of Trowlesworthy Warren, which includes around 64 pillow mounds and 40 vermin traps scattered along the slopes of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors. The boundaries of the warren are denoted by the River Plym, Spanish Lake and Blacka Brook. Trowlesworthy Warren is generally accepted as the oldest surviving warren on the Moor. Sometime before 1292 Samson de Traylesworthie was granted land for rabbit farming by Baldwin de Redvers, Earl of Devon. Many years later in 1551, the warren was leased to William Woollcombe. The warren appears to have remained in constant use until the first half of the 20th century. The pillow mound survives as a 15m long, 6.5m wide and 1m high, flat-topped, oblong shaped mound of soil and stone surrounded by the 2m wide and 0.2m deep ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. A 10m long, 0.8m wide and 0.3m deep narrow gully leads west from the ditch to merge into a further hollow which forms part of a series of interconnected similar sized gullies which lead off westward, eastward and partially surround the mound. These gullies represent a complex system of animal runs in which rabbits and vermin could have been trapped. Other archaeological features surviving in the vicinity of this monument are the subject of separate schedulings. This monument is in the care of the Secretary of State.

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:

24241

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Crossing, W, Crossing's Guide To Dartmoor, (1990), 431

Other
Thackray, C., The Upper Plym Valley: The management of an historic landscape, 1994, Archaeological Site Inventory
Thackray, C., The Upper Plym Valley: The management of an historic landscape, 1994, Archaeological Site Inventory
MPP Fieldwork by S. Gerrard, (1993)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX56NE240, (1985)
National Archaeological Record, SX56SE66,

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