Pillow mound near Little Mis Tor

This pillow mound is a low, elongated earthwork that formed part of Merrivale Warren, a managed landscape for rabbit and game exploitation in medieval and later times. Pillow mounds, also called 'coney garts', were artificial breeding grounds where rabbits were encouraged to burrow and breed, providing a valuable food source for local landowners and monasteries. The warren would have been carefully maintained and defended.

Today the mound sits in open moorland south west of Little Mis Tor, a subtle feature in the grass that speaks to centuries of Dartmoor's working past. The wider warren system reflects how the moor was divided, managed and harvested long before modern conservation. Walking the area reveals other traces of this medieval economy scattered across the landscape.

Historic England listed designation: Pillow mound 900m SSW of Little Mis Tor, forming part of Merrivale Warren