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Summary

Vermin trap abutting two boundary walls. This vermin trap includes a single length of rubble wall, which together with two other pre-existing field boundary walls forms an X-shaped trap. The wall is of rubble construction and measures 7m long by 1m wide and 0.6m high (Gerrard, 1995). Cook (1964) identified this trap as being located at 'wall termination at the foot of steep bank 37 metres north of Shadyback Tor'. Not seen in 2002 English Heritage Plym Valley survey but identified by 2015.

Location

Protected Status

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

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/240/1
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/240/16
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/240/38
• Old SAM Ref: 24232

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• VERMIN TRAP? (Constructed, XVIII to XIX - 1751 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Cook, R. M. L., 1964, Old vermin traps on south-west Dartmoor, 201 (Article in Serial). SDV230549.

(?SX 5665 6509) Trowlesworthy Tor. Site 32. Uncertain. At wall termination at foot of steep bank 37 metres north of Shadyback Tor.

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 157 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

SX 5655 6510; near Shadyback Tor. Trowlesworthy Warren. Haynes' vermin trap No.6. Uses ancient field wall. Overgrown.

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

Not visible on the 1946 Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140636 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(03/04/1995) SX 5665 6510 Vermin trap abuts two boundary walls. This vermin trap includes a single length of rubble wall, which together with two other pre-existing field boundary walls forms an X-shaped trap. The wall is of rubble construction and measures 7m long by 1m wide and 0.6m high. The position of the trap suggests that it was intended to catch vermin following the boundary walls.

Ridgers, H. + Ridgers, C., 2015, Of Varments and Vermin Traps, 15 no. 141 (Report - Assessment). SDV358632.

(No. 141) SX 56646 65106. Trap recorded abutting ?prehistoric wall. Vague and X-shaped walls. Indistinct.

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

Possible trap walls appear visible on the aerial photograph, near the wall.

Richards, A. F., 2020, Notes regarding historic locations of vermin traps in the HER (Personal Comment). SDV163447.

According to Gerrard (1995) and supported by Ridgers (2015), there appear to be two possible traps in the region in/around Shadyback Tor (SX 5666 6506).
MDV3402 This record previously located at SX 5766 6512, which appears to have been an HER error (not Cook's reference?).
Ridgers and Ridgers record a trap at SX 56656 65092 (No. 32) and another nearby at SX 56646 65106 (No. 141).
Cook's description for this trap describes it as being of the feature being at the termination of a wall 37m north of Shadyback Tor.
On balance, it is thought that this record should be located closest to the wall location as shown on the English Heritage 2002 Plym Valley survey (does not identify any traps in this area); the second of Ridgers' locations. Thought to be a duplicate record of MDV56838 (based solely on Gerrard).

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

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