Here be Rabbits

Remember Monty Python's Life of Brian and "What have the Romans ever done for us". Well  apart from building roads, aqueducts etc they introduced rabbits into Britain for food. They were bred in captivity and were apparently considered a delicacy. After the Romans left, the rabbit population declined, as the native Britons and later Saxons weren't that keen on eating them; They much preferred the richer taste of venison and wild boar.

The year 1066 wasn't a good one for the Saxons, as we all know, William of Normandy came to visit with his band of merry Normans. Being a fair and reasonable king, one of the first things that he did was to ban the Saxons from hunting deer and boar. No wonder he was known as William the bastard. The Normans did however re-introduce rabbits or coneys to England which they allowed the Saxons to farm for food instead.

To this day in the Ashdown Forest there are still many local names with a rabbit connection. Places such as Crowborough Warren, Hindleap Warren, Wrens Warren and Broadstone Warren denoting a place where rabbits were bred in captivity for food. These man made warrens often consisted of a cigar shaped raised bank, twenty metres or more in length which can be seen marked on contemporary maps as 'Pillow mounds' written in Gothic script.

Pillow mound near Crowborough Warren (The raised green bank at the top of the picture)


The interior of the pillow mounds consisted of a series of  tunnels or burrows as accommodation for the rabbits, which were often lined with stones or brickwork. Rabbits can't swim so the banks were surrounded by a water filled moat to prevent them from escaping. A wooden fence was erected on the outside of this to stop predators getting in. The rabbits were caught by netting off several of the entrance holes and then sending a ferret down the tunnels to chase the rabbits into the nets.

Pillow mound with moat near Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre


In the middle ages the pillow mounds would probably have been quite an impressive sight as several of them were often grouped together on the open hillside. I was curious about these pillow mounds so Little dog and I went to look at some. These days though, the mounds have fallen into disuse and are not much to look at, in fact you would probably walk past them without realising what they once were. Even the rabbits don't appear to make use of them anymore, much too little dog's disappointment. The only rabbits she will be chasing today will be in her dreams.

No rabbits to chase here. Little dog rolls in leaves in the old moat instead.