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Summary

The vermin trap lies immediately north of agglomerate enclosure and includes a V-shaped rubble wall with a narrow passage situated at the point. The eastern arm measures 4.4m long and the western arm is 2m long. A piece of slate found in the narrow passage, probably represents part of the original shutter device for the trap.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019876: Prehistoric settlement, three round cairns and a post-medieval rabbit warren at Legis Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE328
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1409239
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/239/18
• Old SAM County Ref: 274
• Old SAM Ref: 10696

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• VERMIN TRAP (Constructed, XVIII - 1701 AD (Between) to 1800 AD (Between))

Full description

Cook, R. M. L., 1964, Old vermin traps on south-west Dartmoor, 198, Site 1 (Article in Serial). SDV230549.

Legis Tor Warren. Site 1. Type 3a. Poor condition, walls only. North wall of cover pound 274m south-south-west of tor. Probable date of use 1700-1800.

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 159, No.10 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

Haynes' vermin trap No.10. Built against pound wall (sx56ne/4). A lightly built trap in poor condition.

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

Not visible on 1946 Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130885 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

22/02/1993 Vermin trap within an enclosure south-west of Legis Tor.
The vermin trap lies immediately north of agglomerate enclosure AI: 130822 and includes a V-shaped rubble wall with a narrow passage situated at the point. The eastern arm measures 4.4m long and the western arm is 2m long. A piece of slate found in the narrow passage, probably represents part of the original shutter device for the trap.

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(18/02/2005) SX 56?10 6531. A ruinous vermin trap built into the wall of a prehistoric enclosure on the S flank of Legis Tor. The trap stones are missing, all that remains are the V-shaped funnel walls some 5m long and 0.4m high.

Ridgers, H. + Ridgers, C., 2015, Of Varments and Vermin Traps, 3, No. 24 (Report - Assessment). SDV358632.

SX 57000 65322. Walls only, complex trap involving pound wall.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

Depicted on digital survey layers.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

An incomplete vermin trap built against the northern curving wall of the large prehistoric enclosure SW of Legis Tor associated with the warren of the same name. The trapping chamber of the feature is not visible but the two funnel walls on the north side remain in situ extending 3.9m and 2.9m by 0.4m high to form a 'V' plan. The funnel wall on the south side, reused the external wall facing of the prehistoric enclosure.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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