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  • Shooting Times & Country

    A turning point for the rabbit?

    Aug 05, 2020 4 minutes

    The origin of the European rabbit in the UK is not as obvious as it first looks. The most popular theory is that they were introduced by the Romans shortly after their invasion of Britain in AD43. However, historians believe that rabbits first arrived on British soil with the Normans in 1066 as the Bayeux Tapestry is thought to show soldiers carrying rabbits in sacks and crates. Interestingly, there are no written records of rabbits prior to the Norman Invasion and there is no mention of the species in the Domesday Book of 1086.

    The discovery of rabbit remains at the Eartham Pit archaeological site in West Sussex

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