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Summary

Drain or animal run in Trowlesworthy Warren surviving as a linear gully situated within a partially enclosed hut settlement. It survives as a 220m by 0.8m by 0.3m deep gully and leads between two historic field boundaries. Material upcast during its construction forms a 1.2m wide and 0.3m high bank on the south side of the gully. The gully cuts enclosure MDV2475 and probably represents part of a complex system of animal runs in which rabbits and vermin could have been trapped.

Location

Protected Status

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

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX 56 SE 66
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/362
• Old SAM Ref: 24232
• Pastscape: 439294

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• GULLY (Constructed, XVIII to XIX - 1751 AD to 1899 AD (Between))

Full description

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 431 (Monograph). SDV320981.

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

Recorded by project.

Mercer, R. J., 1987, An Archaeological Field Survey of the Upper Plym Valley, Dartmoor 1982-1986, 22 (Report - Survey). SDV165948.

Drain. Ditch with stony bank on south side, 1.20m wide and 0.30m high. Dimensions: length 220m by breadth 0.80m by depth 0.30m.

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

(09/04/1995) This animal run survives as a linear gully situated within a partially enclosed hut settlement. It forms part of Trowlesworthy Warren and survives as a 220m by 0.8m by 0.3m deep gully and leads between two historic field boundaries. Material upcast during its construction forms a 1.2m wide and 0.3m high bank on the south side of the gully.
The gully cuts enclosure SX56SE/51 (MDV2475) and probably represents part of a complex system of animal runs in which rabbits and vermin could have been trapped. In the past, shallow gullies such as this have been seen as drainage ditches. However the location, shape and alignment of many, including this one, indicates very clearly that they could not all have had a drainage function. Their close association with vermin traps in several instances suggests very strongly that they are much more likely to represent animal runs.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley, 254-6 (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 8, 102.022 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

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

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

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.