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Antiquities

Pillow mound 770m ENE of Merrivale Bridge, forming part of Merrivale Warren

Devon

This pillow mound is one of several earthworks forming Merrivale Warren, a scheduled monument on the open moor east of Merrivale Bridge. Pillow mounds are low, elongated artificial banks created in the medieval period and later, built to provide habitat and protection for rabbit warrens. Rabbits were valuable livestock, and warrens like this one were managed as a resource across Dartmoor and beyond.

Today the mound survives as a subtle but distinct earthwork in the moorland, part of a broader pattern of warren management visible across this area. Walking here, you can see how medieval communities shaped the moor itself to make it productive. The site sits within the wider Merrivale landscape, which holds numerous archaeological features spanning thousands of years.

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Photo: Mike Faherty (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons

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