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Summary

A rabbit bury or pillow mound of probable medieval to post-medieval date is visible as an earthwork mound on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, on the south-west facing slopes of Trowlesworthy Warren, overlooking the Blacka Brook.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1016147: A stone alignment, kerbed cairn, prehistoric settlement, four pillow mounds, a vermin trap and animal runs 720m south west of Great Trowlesworthy Tor

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/198/66
• Old SAM Ref: 22429(P)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223 Vp2 5143-5144 12-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352279.

A ditched mound is visible as an earthwork.

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

Mound is recorded in project but no photograph reference is given.

Mercer, R. J., 1987, An Archaeological Field Survey of the Upper Plym Valley, Dartmoor 1982-1986, 33 (Report - Survey). SDV165948.

At SX 5739 6390. Sub-rectangular mound of earth, in which basal layer of stone foundation is visible. Surrounded on north, east and south sides by ditch, 3m wide and 0.50m deep.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140536 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(10/03/1994) Mound measures 22m by 7.3m by 1.3m high, surrounded by a 2.8m wide and 0.5m deep quarry ditch. Mound is revetted at eastern end and along southern side. The two gullies leading from its lower end measure 7m long, 0.4m wide and 0.1m deep.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 11, 102.033 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5763 01-06-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

A ditched mound is visible as an earthwork.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5763 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

A ditched mound is identifiable as an earthwork.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPTR-30 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(22/03/2020) Condition of the pillow mound assessed as very good; some vegetation growth (bracken and reeds) on mound, as well as one burrow hole.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Site photographed March 2020.

Google, 2019, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM XX-XXX-2002 ACCESSED 14-OCT-2019 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363088.

A ditched mound is visible as an earthwork.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

An oblong mound approximately 23m long and 8m wide is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, crossing the contours of the south-west facing slopes of Trowlesworthy Warren.
The bank is surrounded by a ditch up to 2.3m wide.
The mound is probably the remains of a rabbit bury or pillow mound of probable medieval to post-medieval date. The ditch is probably an aid to drainage, enhancing the natural drainage of the slope.
The gullies extending from the south end, identified by the above authorities, were not visible on the sources available to the survey due to dense scrub vegetation.
The mound remains clearly identifiable on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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