The European rabbit is a common sight in the British countryside today. Yet it was not always so. They are not native to the British Isles and are one of the most devastating invasive species.
The early history of rabbits in the British Isles tells the captivating story of social change in medieval England. From a rare luxury gifted by kings and the Norman aristocracy, rabbits became more commonplace after the living standards of the poor improved in the years after the Black Death (1346 to 1353).
