Object Details
From:NHerts
Name/TitleRabbit
About this objectThe Romans first introduced rabbits to Britain. The Normans brought them again later. Prized for their meat and fur, they were kept in specially made warrens. About 1400, a rabbit was worth more than a labourer’s daily wage. We know where some warrens were because of place names like Warren Close at Maydencroft. This rabbit specimen was a road traffic victim and was collected by Museum Curator George L Evans on Pirton Road on 1 April 1978.
During the first Coronavirus lockdown of 2020 North Hertfordshire Museum Visitor Services Assistant Carys Breeze researched and gave her opinion on this specimen.
What is the most interesting thing about this object?
Rabbits are found on every continent except for Antarctica. Although originally found in the UK, the rabbit was reintroduced after the glacial period by both the Romans and the Normans. The latter had to house the rabbits in artificial warrens to ensure their population maintenance before the 18th century brought predator control and increased food sources which allowed the wild population to boom.
Further information
The rabbit is a mammal found in across all continents except Antarctica. A non-native species, Oryctolagus cuniculus, or the European rabbit, is now so widespread and populous throughout the UK that it is almost as though it never left our shores. Physically, the adult rabbit can be distinguished from the five other European species by its relatively shorter ears and the white underside to its’ tail. Another feature that distinguishes them is seen in their young; born sightless and naked, the European rabbit gives birth underground in order to protect its’ new-borns. Most adults also live underground in communal warrens, but they have been known to live above ground where the soil type proves inhospitable to burrowing. In these instances, the rabbits will shelter in dense vegetation but still return underground to breed, although in much shallower burrows.
Whilst the rabbit is now classed as a non-native species, there was a period in the pre-Pleistocene where the rabbit did in fact exist naturally within the UK. However, after several severe glacial periods the European rabbit only managed to remain extant in the Iberian Peninsula. This has been determined by the genetic testing that determines that our modern rabbit has its’ genetic origins in southern Spain and north Africa.
Recent archaeological evidence has found that the rabbit was brought over by the romans. The jury is out as to whether it was there as a pet or as dinner, but it is evident that the rabbit did not manage to successfully build a stable population in Britain at that time. The people that finally managed to re-establish the European rabbit were the Normans. In order to maintain populations manmade warrens known as ‘coneygarths’ were built to house the rabbits within the grounds of large manor houses and castles. As such, rabbits were a foodstuff of the wealthy, hunting only allowed to take place with the landowners’ permission. There is reference to the restrictions on hunting rabbits in one of the earliest poems pertaining to Robin Hood. Within the poem comes a part whereby the riding king asks a shepherd to kill some rabbits (conyngs) that have been spotted. The response however is that:
“Hit is alle the kynges waren,
Ther is nouther knyꝫt ne sqwayre,
That dar do sich a dede,
Any conyng here to sla
And with the trespass away to ga,
But his side shulde blede.
The waner is hardy and fell,
Sertanly, as I the tell,
He will take no mede,
Whoso dose here sich maistrye,
Be thu wel sicer he shall abye,
And unto preson lede.”
This shows that if anyone were to slay the animals owned by the landowner, then severe retribution would be laid down upon them as a result. The pillow-mounds associated with the coneygarths encouraged the species to burrow and meant that their capture could be more easily determined. Many of these warrens no longer exist in eastern England due to the intensification of arable farming methods, however, evidence of them is still to be found in western upland areas.
Not only were manmade warrens built to support the hunting interests of wealthy men, but they were also important for maintaining rabbit populations within the UK. At the time of their reintroduction, the environment was not particularly hospitable for the European rabbit. Large swathes of woodland and the predatory animals they housed are not ideal for rabbits and as such a truly wild population could not truly flourish. However, with the 18th century came the growing of winter crops and an increase in the interest of hunting game. This meant that their predators were under control and there was now an abundance of food. As a result, the European rabbit population exploded and within the space of 200 years the rabbit was no widespread throughout the UK. It was with this great expansion that the destructive nature of the rabbit became known, becoming extreme pests of crops and creating a desire for their populations to be controlled once again.
In 1952 the myxoma virus spread to Britain from France. The initial mortality rate was around 99% of all wild animals. As a disease it decimated the European rabbit population and still has considerable impact to this day.
Field CollectorGeorge L Evans
Field Collection Date1978-04-01
Field Collection Place DescriptionPirton, Herts, TL13/k
MeasurementsEar: 4.5 cm
Hind foot: 4.1 cm (without toes)
Tail: 1.5 cm
Named CollectionHitchin Museum
Credit LineG.L. Evans, Pirton
Object TypeMammals
Object number1/NZ/1258
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved