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Summary

Group of four pillow mounds on a narrow strip of greensward between the old Chagord to Merripit road and the early enclosed land of Shapley. Pillow mounds or buries are artificial earthern mounds in which rabbits were reared. Rabbit warrening was once an important part of Dartmoor's farming economy.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SE414
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1409070
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/201

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PILLOW MOUND (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Quinnell, N. V., 19/06/2002, Pillow Mounds (Worksheet). SDV229038.

Group of four mounds on a narrow strip of greensward between the old Chagord to Merripit road and the early enclosed land of Shapley. They are all oriented north-west to south-east to accord with the slight ground slope and originally all were rectangular with a ditch around them.
The cutting across mound 2 seems exploratory but the depressions across mounds 3 and 4 are similar to those often found on large pillow mounds, being the collapse of construction tunnels. The small size and number of mounds suggests they were made for a domestic supply rather than as a commerical enterprise.
See worksheet for full details of individual mounds together with photos and plan.

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

Visible on National Monuments record photo. Recorded.

Cosford, J., 1985, Mounds (Pillow?), Page 58 of 139 (Worksheet). SDV229035.

B. Two adjacent mounds, 5.0 by 3.0 metres, at SX67778451.
[Part of dispersed group of] five pillow mounds on open common near field walls. Oblong mounds, 0.6 metres high with a shallow ditch around each.

Gerrard, S., 1993-2010, Monument Protection Programme Alternative Action Report (Report - non-specific). SDV145710.

(14/06/1999) Considered under MPP. A very small earthwork which looks like a pillow mound. It is however very steep sided. Whilst no better interpretation can be offered it was not felt that this site is definitely a pillow mound. Furthermore, if it is it does not form part of a warren of national importance.

Newman, P., 2011, The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor, 167-174 (Monograph). SDV351349.

Rabbit warrening was once an important part of Dartmoor’s farming economy and as a commercial activity it flourished from the 15th-17th century until the 19th century with only Ditsworthy and Trowlesworthy warrens surviving into the 20th century. The artificial earthern mounds in which the rabbits were reared are known as buries or pillow mounds (a descriptive term to distinguish them from Neolithic long barrows).

National Monument Record, Unknown, SX6784, SX6784/1/463 (Aerial Photograph). SDV229036.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8655 - Higher Shapley Farm, Duchy Farms Survey

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