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Summary

Trowlesworthy Warren covering 200 hectares was the oldest warren on Dartmoor. Trowlesworthy was mentioned in the 13th century before the warren was established

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020323: Prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape at Trowlesworthy Warren

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/198
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24233
• Old SAM Ref: 24118(P)(PART)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RABBIT WARREN (XIII to Mid 20th Century - 1300 AD to 1950 AD (Between))

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments, Field Number 1076 (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Field Number 1076 is listed on the 1840's Tithe Map Apportionment for 'Trolsworthy Warren' as 'The Warren'.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 13 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 259 (Monograph). SDV1312.

Trowlesworthy Warren was mentioned as 'Travaylesworth' and 'Travailesworth' in the 13th century and as Trailesworthi in 1334.

Royal Air Force, 1946, CPE/UK 1890, 4288-9 2295-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV140289.

RAF, 1953, 58/1110.0038 (Aerial Photograph). SDV166313.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 139-143 (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

Trowlesworthy Warren. Earliest documentary reference 1292 - a grant of additional land for a rabbit warren (citing Hemery and Crossing). Linehan observed 18 pillow mounds. Other details: Table 3.

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 147-164 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

Trowlesworthy continues in use as a hill farm of 500 acres. It includes two tors (Great and Little Trowlesworthy). Vermin traps can be seen on Great Trowlesworthy, and along the banks of Lee Moor leat. 39 are known on this warren.

Cook, R. M. L., 1971, Second Report of the Industrial Archaeology Section, 200 (Article in Serial). SDV19178.

Ordnance Survey, 1977, SX56SE66 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV166307.

Evidence of the oldest of the Dartmoor Warrens can be found in Risdon's "Survey of Devon", dated about 1630. "Trowlesworthy Warren" was granted before date of deeds by Baldwin de Redvors, Earl of Devon, to Sampson de Traylesworthy at some period between 1135 and 1272. In 1551 it was leased to William Woollcombe and in 1560 was conveyed in fee. Trowlesworthy Warren contains at least sixty seven pillow mounds, sixty-three rectangular, six built against walls, one circular and one adapted hut circle. The rectangular "Buries" measure on average 24m long, 6m wide and 1m high above its ditch and range from 10m to 52m long, 3m to 8m wide and 0.6m to 1.4m high. They are aligned with the maximum slope. All are ditched, the average width being 2m and usually all round with, quite often a tailing ditch continuing down the slope. The majority lie on moderate slopes, a few lie on the valley floors and on steep river cliffs. They are constructed of earth over stone bases, visible in many instances as revetments, especially at the ends. One at SX56946472 has possibly been truncated by a field wall. The "Buries" built against extant field walls are similar, except that there is only one side ditch, and one SX5719506 is 131m long. The circular pillow mound at SX57396498 is 10m diameter, 0.6m high and a hut circle has been adapted by infilling the interior and digging an encircling ditch. Trowlesworthy Warren remained under the same family ownership until January 1969, when it was left to the National Trust. It continues as a hill farm. It is bounded on the west by Blackabrook; by the Plym on the north; Spanish Lake on the East; and Cotta Brook on the south. A water barrier on all sides, except the few yards between Spanish Lake Head and Cotta Brook. In fact, almost an island. These few yards were filled by a short piece of stone walling. The boundaries thus defined remained unaltered for many centuries. An area of 489 acres shown on Tithe Map of 1842. The late warrener thought it about 600 acres. There are no apparent medieval remains, but the warren house, post 1842, stands on earlier remains, and what must have been a longhouse once stood at the yard gate and was used by R. Giles in the 1930's to build the yard wall. This longhouse was connected to the field system on Shadyback Plateau. The present enclosed fields of the warren are probably founded on walls of this period. Names from Tithe Map of 1842, post 1842 enclosures were never named. This warren has been extensively drained for the benefit of rabbits and ditches occur everywhere. Notably on the steep slopes of Trowlesworthy Tors, inverted V shaped ditches have been dug, leaving a dry area between the arms of the V in which rabbits burrowed.

Haynes, R. G., 1978-1981, The Care of Rabbits on Dartmoor Warrens, 55-57 (Article in Serial). SDV166305.

Author discusses warrening techniques with some references to Trowlesworthy.

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

Visible and recorded.

Williamson, T. + Loveday, R., 1988, Dartmoor Pillow Mounds, 310 (Article in Serial). SDV166308.

Williamson and Loveday cite Trowlesworthy as the only Dartmoor pillow mounds that lie within an area where a possible medieval warren is documented. All other mounds with documentary references are of the 17th-19th century.

Robertson, J. G., 1991, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym, 254-6 (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV166324.

Other details: Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 44, 102 130 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Trowlesworthy Warren occupies 200 hectares, bounded by River Plym, Spanish Lake and Blacka Brook. The land was granted to Sampson de Traylesworthie as early as the 13th century though it is not certain when warrening began. Ceased to operate as a warren in 1956. The fields surrounding the house were enclosed at different times form the 17th to the 19th century.

Gerrard, S., 1995, 140356 (Report - Survey). SDV166310.

Trowlesworthy Warren includes circa 64 pillow mounds and 40 vermin traps. Robertson expresses doubt about its medieval origins but It existed by 1651 and was used until first half of the 20th century.

National Trust, 1997, An Archaeological Watching Brief on Electricity Supply to Trowlesworthy Warren Farm, 1 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV149633.

A small number of archaeological features were recorded during the insertion of a below ground electricity supply to Trowlesworthy Warren Farm (see subsheets 125-132). Areas cutting through tin streaming works recorded by photograph only.

Holley, S., 2003, A Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV360383.

Berry, N., 2003, Trowlesworthy Warren Farm: Archaeological Survey and Assessment of the Field Boundaries, 4-22 (Report - Survey). SDV320483.

A survey of field boundaries at Trowlesworthy Warren Farm was undertaken in 2003. Other details: Map Section.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Trowlesworthy Warren and many pillow mounds are depicted on the modern mapping.

English Heritage, 2011, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV347072.

This monument includes a complex prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape situated within Trowlesworthy Warren which lies between the River Plym, Blacka Brook and Spanish Lake. The medieval archaeology includes a field system bounded by a cornditch, and the post-medieval remains include a field system, pillow mounds, vermin traps and animal runs forming part of a warren, clearance cairns, a rectangular building, a dam, leats, gravel pit and areas of alluvial streamworks.
Rabbit farming was also an important activity within this area during the post-medieval period and part of Trowlesworthy Warren lies within this monument. The boundaries of Trowlesworthy Warren, which includes around 64 pillow mounds and 40 vermin traps scattered along the slopes of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors, are denoted by the River Plym, Spanish Lake and Blacka Brook. Trowlesworthy Warren is generally accepted as the oldest warren on Dartmoor, although recently doubt has been expressed concerning its medieval origins. It is however known that the warren existed by 1651 when it was occupied by John Hamblin, a skinner from Plymouth. The warren appears to have remained in constant use from this time until the first half of the 20th century. At least 24 pillow mounds survive within the monument and most of these survive as flat-topped, sub-rectangular mounds of soil and stone surrounded by the ditch from which material was quarried during their construction. The mounds vary in length between 10.5m and 190m, with the average being 30.5m. Their widths vary between 3.5m and 8m, with the average being 5.66m. The heights of the mounds vary between 0.5m and 1.5m, with the average being 0.93m. All of the mounds are surrounded by a visible ditch and these vary in depth between 0.1m and 0.7m with the average being 0.28m. Scattered throughout the part of the warren lying within the monument are at least 15 vermin traps. Vermin approaching their quarry tend to seek a route that provides visual cover and the purpose of a trap was to funnel predators along ditches or beside walls to a central point where they could be trapped. Fourteen of the traps were constructed against or across earlier field boundaries or leat banks and were clearly intended to entrap the vermin following these artificial barriers. The traps survive as `X'- or `V'-shaped lengths of walling leading to a trapping area in which a stone box was originally placed. Within the warren at least 17 gullies, some of which are closely associated with pillow mounds, are visible. These gullies generally survive as shallow, relatively steep-sided hollows with a width of less than 1m, and are associated with a low bank which represents the material upcast during their construction. In the past these gullies have been seen as drainage ditches. However, the location, shape and alignment of many indicates very clearly that they could not all have had a drainage function. Their close association with vermin traps in several instances suggests that they are more likely to represent animal runs. Gullies such as these could have been excavated to control the movement of vermin. For full details see the National Heritage List for England. (Scheduled 1952, amended 2001). Other details: SAM UID: 24232.

Griffiths, D. M., Pre 2010, Various Sites, Trowlesworthy (Personal Comment). SDV17161.

Trowlesworthy Warren House is sited at SX568648 (information regarding vermin traps comes from a number of different sources; some entries in the SMR may be duplicates due to unreliable grid refs).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV534 - OSA=SX56SE66
• EDV535 - Unnamed Event
• EDV536 - MPP/140356
• EDV537 - An Archaeological Watching Brief on Electricity Supply to Trowlesworthy Warren Farm
• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV7380 - Watching brief on the Lee Moor China Clay Leat (Ref: 92.60)
• EDV7438 - Survey of field boundaries at Trowlesworthy Warren Farm
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey

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