Thetford Forest's medieval warren lodges. January 2003 - Photo Album

Following the Conquest, the Norman lords of England were keen to gain the right to warrene - to fence off an area of land to be used exclusively for hunting. The Normans also brought the coney (rabbit) to England. The rabbit was indigeneous to southern Europe, and did not take well to the British climate. They were pampered by their keepers, who kept them in small enclosures, giving them shelter, and food, whilst protecting them from predators. Eventually the rabbits acclimiatized, and spread out to the larger 'warrens'. For centuries these warrens were zealously guarded by their keepers - the warreners, who were employed by the lords to care for the rabbits, and to protect them from gangs of armed poachers. These warreners would live in fortified lodges, usually built on high areas within a warren, so that they could keep a look out for poachers.