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Summary

A vermin trap created by altering the perimeter wall of a prehistoric enclosure (3366). The builder utilised the existing inturned curving wall of the enclosure to form the funnel walls on the east side of the trap, then adding a similar low wall to the outside curving in the opposite direction, leaving a narrow space between the two at the centre to form the trapping chamber. The eastern wall is 15m long the opposing wall is 9.7m. The cover stone for the chamber is no longer present.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019876: Prehistoric settlement, three round cairns and a post-medieval rabbit warren at Legis Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE334
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1409406
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/239/22

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• VERMIN TRAP (Constructed, Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 159, trap no.9 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

Legis Tor Warren. In wall of pound opposite Spanish Lake. Makes clever use of the pound wall, necessitating the building of 2 walls only. Strongly built and in good condition.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Not visible on the 1946 Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP130890, Trap 2 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(22/02/1993) One of four vermin traps within an enclosure forming part of Legis Tor Warren. Vermin trap 2 includes two V-shaped lengths of walling together forming an X-shaped trap with the narrow funnel trapping area situated in the centre of the feature. This structure utilises lengths of prehistoric enclosure walling [AI: 130876, MDV3366] in its construction, with only short lengths of new walling being required to form the trap. A length of ditch and bank leading from the rabbit enclosure boundary may have been designed to collect vermin from the hillside above this area.

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(08/02/2005) SX 57516539. A ruinous vermin trap utilising the walls of a prehistoric enclosure on the SE flank of Legis Tor. The trap stones are missing, all that remains are the drystone V-shaped funnel walls a maximum of 7.0m long.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Partially visible on the aerial photography.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

[Some confusion regarding vermin traps here: there are not 4 traps in this enclosure (see records MDV3419 / 14641)]. The following trap is confirmed and was visited in 2022:
SX 57515 65387. A vermin trap created by altering the perimeter wall of a prehistoric enclosure (3366). The builder utilised the existing inturned curving wall of the enclosure to form the funnel walls on the east side of the trap, then adding a similar low wall to the outside curving in the opposite direction, leaving a narrow space between the two at the centre to form the trapping chamber. The eastern wall is 15m long the opposing wall is 9.7m. The cover stone for the chamber is no longer present.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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