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Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable 19th or 20th century date is visible on military oblique aerial photographs of the 1950s as the remains of four parallel earthwork ditches roughly following the contours along the north-west facing slopes of the Hey Brook combe. Catch meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream and passing it along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters. When irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow from gutter to gutter, thereby irrigating the slopes below.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (XIX to Early 20th Century - 1801 AD to 1932 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3108-3109 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

Curvilinear earthwork ditches are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1958, RAF 58/2546 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351257.

Four linear earthwork ditches are visible.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5049 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Curvilinear earthwork ditches are visible.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SX5048-SX5049 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350196.

Linear earthwork ditches are visible but possible on altered alignments.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A possible catch meadow of probable 19th or Twentieth century date is visible on military oblique aerial photographs of 1958 as the remains of four parallel earthwork ditches roughly following the contours along the north-west facing slopes of the Hey Brook combe. Most catch meadow systems are believed to date to the post medieval period, although it is likely that they were first developed in the medieval period and continued in use into the twentieth century. Catch meadows provided a simple, inexpensive and effective form of irrigation. When irrigation was required water was diverted from a source such as a pond, river, spring or spring-fed stream and passed along the meadow slopes via one or more of the gutters, which was then caused to overflow. In this instance the system probably tapped Hey Brook. The lower, roughly parallel gutters then ‘caught’ and redistributed water passing it evenly over the surface of a meadow below. The gently flowing water prevented the ground freezing in winter and encouraged early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock, particularly important during the hungry gap of the March and April.
The gutters are possibly visible as slight and fragmentary earthworks on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2007 but they might have been recut on a slightly different alignment or re-used as foot paths. Field investigation is required to ascertain the current condition of the earthworks.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

The extent of the probable 19th or early-20th century catchmeadow recorded in 2013 can be modified using the additional imagery available to this survey. Additional ditches to the north are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken from 1946 onwards and on images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV350196	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2007. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SX5048-SX5049 03-MAY-2007.
SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3108-3109 10-DEC-1946.
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV351257	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1958. RAF 58/2546. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper).
SDV361470	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2017. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX5049 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017. [Mapped feature: #63434 ]
SDV362982	Interpretation: Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R.. 2019-2020. The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP). Historic England Research Report. Digital.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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