Medieval Rabbit Warrens

Back in medieval England rabbits were not bred in cages but in specially crafted earthen burrows called warrens, or pillow mounds. These were heaps of earth with multiple, well-ventilated inner chambers where rabbits mated, gave birth and raised their families. The pillow-like mounds were often built in oblong shape and sometimes were connected with each other with stone-lined tunnels. To prevent the rabbits from escaping, a field of pillow mounds was surrounded by a moat, or ditch filled with water. A fence provided protection from predators. Many warrens were accompanied by a lodge and a watchtower where the warrener lived.

Rabbit Warrens

Pillow mounds in Dartmoor. Photo: www.dartmoorcam.co.uk

Today we consider rabbits as destructive and of little value, but unlike its modern reputation, rabbits in medieval times were valuable animals. Rabbit meat was a delicacy and its fur was a cheap alternative to the more expensive ermine’s.

European rabbits were originally found only in southwestern Europe, including Spain, Portugal and western France. The invasive species was brought to the British Isles by the Romans following their invasion in 43 AD. However, it wasn’t until the 11th century, that rabbits became more widespread, which has led many scholars to believe that it was the Normans who introduced the animal to Britain in large scale. In the beginning, the rabbits found the English climate inhospitable and needed careful rearing. For the next five centuries, almost all rabbits in England were supplied by these warrens. In the early 14th century, when the Great Famine struck Britain and crops failed all over Europe, it was these rabbits that kept the people fed and alive.

It wasn’t until the 18th century that rabbits began to be seen as a food for the poor, because by then the animal had become ubiquitous in the wild.

Pillow mounds are an obsolete technology, and the majority of these structures have long since disappeared. But there still hundreds of these scattered across the islands, especially in dry areas like Brecklands and Dartmoor where the soil is poor for crops but ideal for burrowing. Some of these are now protected by English Heritage.

Rabbit Warrens