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Summary

Warren covers an area of approximately 113 hectares, and was established by at least 1807, when a lease clearly indicates that it formed part of Hentor Warren. Hentor farm is considered to have been the warren house. Warren contains at least 18 pillow mounds lying close to the rivers. The majority are ditched and aligned with the slope. Bounded by Spanish Lake, the River Plym, and the Hentor Brook.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019083: Medieval farmstead and field system, length of Willings Walls Reave, four round cairns, a ring cairn and pillow mounds at Willings Walls Warren

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE135
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438879
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/237
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24231
• Old SAM Ref: 24218(PART)
• Old SAM Ref: 24230
• Old SAM Ref: 24231

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RABBIT WARREN (XIX to World War II - 1807 AD to 1939 AD (Between))

Full description

HAYNES, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV137758.

Willings walls warren. Probably always operated with hentor warren (sx56ne/236). Boundaries given on lease of 1807 (see os card). The warrener's house survives (haynes).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV137778.

Post med arch/4(1970)159.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 139, 141, table 2, Site W7 (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

One pillow mound counted.

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 159, 164 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

No vermin traps on this warren. The 1807 lease is reproduced in the appendix.

Ordnance Survey, 1975, OS/75/369, 145-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV254607.

Haynes, R. G., 1978, Typescript notes and plans (Un-published). SDV285917.

Willings Walls Warren probably always operated jointly with Hentor Warren (SX 56 NE 133). The lease of Hentor Warren of 1807 (Morley papers) gives the boundaries of Hentor and Willings Walls Warrens combined. The south boundary ..." from a certain row or heap of stones joining Trowlesworthy Warren and Spanish Lake Head... about 40 land yards above the same to a large rock marked with the initials HWB1 from thence in a straight line east to another stone marked No 2 80 yards above the said row or heap of stones from thence in a straight line to another bound stone marked No 3 which is 40 yards south of the large upright rock in Hentor...".
Remains of warrening are not numerous. Apart from the long-house (SX 56 SE 77) there is no evidence of a warrener's residence.

Haynes, R. G., 1978-1981, The Boundaries of Hentor Warren in 1807, 97-98 (Article in Serial). SDV137825.

Boundaries shown on 1807 lease given.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX56NE135 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV137767.

(21/02/1979) The Warren contains at least eighteen 'buries' or pillow mounds which lie in proximity to the river boundaries between 272.0m and 335.0m OD. The mounds vary in length from 12.0m to 38.0m, with widths of 6.0m and heights of 0.9m. The majority are ditched and aligned with the slope. The name Willings Walls Warren is still in use.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.
Warren is about 280 acres in extent and therefore was probably not warrened separately. Bounded by Spanish Lake, the Plym, and the Hentor Brook. No warren house is known. A medieval longhouse occurs at the head of Spanish Lake, which might be it.

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

No pillow mounds visible on the 1946 aerial photographs.

Brewer, D., 1986, A field guide to the boundary markers on and around Dartmoor, 52-4 (Monograph). SDV309252.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140375 + 140750 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(01/05/1995) Warren covers an area of c.113 hectares, and was established by at least 1807, when a lease clearly indicates that it formed part of Hentor Warren. Hentor Farm is considered to have been the warren house. It is unclear why this part of Hentor Warren was given a separate name, but may refer to a time when it was operated separately. Sometime shortly after 1815 it was taken over by and worked from Ditsworthy, and continued in use until the 1930s.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 96-160 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV7380 - Watching brief on the Lee Moor China Clay Leat (Ref: 92.60)
• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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