Captured for breeding

Today, the word warren is generally accepted to be synonymous with a colony of wild rabbits, with its complex underground network of burrows where the colony lives. But the original, and now largely obsolete, meaning of warren was a portion of land deliberately fenced off to breed rabbits, so that they could be harvested for their meat and fur. This definition dates back to the late 14th century, the word coming from Old French via the Norman conquerors. There were two main reasons why rabbits were kept in warrens. First, they were easy prey for larger animals, so fencing them off and employing a guard, known as a warrener, was a sensible measure. Second, rabbit fur was highly prized, so it paid to keep a close eye on them to prevent theft. Most warrens were close to human habitation, especially castles and churches. One such example is Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, in Northumberland, where the monks kept rabbits from the 1370s onwards. Later, in medieval times, warrens were modified by the creation of ‘pillow mounds’, into which the rabbits could dig their burrows more easily. From the 18th century onwards, when rabbits began to spread throughout Britain, warrens mostly fell into disuse. They did, however, continue in areas with sandy soils, such as Dartmoor and Breckland, into the 20th century. Today, many place names in these areas, and others, still reflect the original use of the land.