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Summary

Catch meadows of probable 19th century date are visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs from 1943 onwards, to the east of Stoke Fleming.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1944, US/7PH/GP/LOC145, US/7PH/GP/LOC145 VM 8035-36 05-JAN-1944 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351456.

The catch meadows are visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3050-51 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

The catch meadows are visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

English Heritage, 1983, OS/83047, OS/83047 V 14-15 15-APR-1983 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351610.

The catch meadows are visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

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

Catch meadows of probable 19th century date are visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs from 1943 onwards, to the east of Stoke Fleming. 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. 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. 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 March and April. The catch meadows cover an area of approximately 2.7 hectares of south facing and east facing slope to the east of Stoke Fleming. The system comprises a series of parallel gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring fed stream that rises approximately 260mm to the west. Two separate gutters are visible as earthwork ditches to the north and appear to form part of a separate system. It is unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farms these water meadow systems might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The catch meadows remain visible on aerial photographs up to 1983, although it’s survival on aerial photographs after this date is unclear.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3050-51 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #64035 ]
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
SDV351456	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1944. US/7PH/GP/LOC145. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). US/7PH/GP/LOC145 VM 8035-36 05-JAN-1944.
SDV351610	Aerial Photograph: English Heritage. 1983. OS/83047. English Heritage. Photograph (Paper). OS/83047 V 14-15 15-APR-1983.

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)

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