See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards, to the west of Lower Ford.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Traditional Listed Barn (Grade II) and farm buildings within curtilege of Listed Farmhouse at Lower Ford Farm and earthwork remains of Catch (water)meadow

Other References/Statuses

• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to Modern - 1540 AD to 2013 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The catch meadow appears to tap a drain or leat depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of between the 1880’s-90’s.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FP 1047-48 13-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354842.

The catch meadow is partly visible as an earthwork ditch.

Ordnance Survey, 1967, OS/67039 V, OS/67039 V 018 18-APR-1967 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356901.

The catch meadow is visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9709 22-05-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

The catch meadow remains visible as a single earthwork ditch.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards, to the west of Lower Ford. 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 meadow covers an area of approximately 0.30 hectares of northeast facing slope, approximately 40m to the west of Lower Ford. The system comprises a series of gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a leat or drain, depicted on historical mapping, which has been diverted from a spring-fed stream that rises further to the southwest. It is unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farm this water meadow system might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The catch meadow remains visible as a single earthwork ditch on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2010.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV354842	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1995. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FP 1047-48 13-APR-1947.
SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9709 22-05-2010.
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV356901	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1967. OS/67039 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/67039 V 018 18-APR-1967. [Mapped feature: #66977 ]

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.