ABOUT THE BOOK Rabbit farming was an important part of the rural economy from medieval times through to the early twentieth century, and the archaeological remains of rabbit warrens still litter the countryside. They are worthy of study in their own right, not least because the industry is poorly recorded in documentary sources. In addition, some of the characteristic features of warrens have caused confusion to archaeologists and have been misinterpreted as buildings or 'ritual structures' of Roman or prehistoric date. ...
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ABOUT THE BOOK Rabbit farming was an important part of the rural economy from medieval times through to the early twentieth century, and the archaeological remains of rabbit warrens still litter the countryside. They are worthy of study in their own right, not least because the industry is poorly recorded in documentary sources. In addition, some of the characteristic features of warrens have caused confusion to archaeologists and have been misinterpreted as buildings or 'ritual structures' of Roman or prehistoric date. This book describes the main archaeological features of warrens and discusses their date and function, the banks and walls used to contain the rabbits, the traps used to catch both them and their vermin predators, the lodges in which the warreners lived and kept their equipment, and, above all, the 'buries' or pillow mounds in which the rabbits were encouraged to reside. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Tom Williamson is Reader in Landscape Archaeology at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. He has written widely on landscape archaeology, agricultural history and the history of landscape design.
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