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Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as multiple narrow linear and roughly parallel earthwork ditches on the south-east-facing slopes below Mountstephen’s Farm, north-west of Luppitt village.
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

• SHINE: Traditional farm buildings, including Threshing Barn and Cider House/Dairy, within curtilege of Listed Farmhouse (Grade II) and earthworks of former Catch (water) meadow at Mountstephens Farm

Other References/Statuses

• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4442-4443 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Curvilinear earthwork ditches were visible, highlighted by water marking on the slopes below.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1605 4-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359490.

The ditches were not identifiable as earthworks.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as multiple narrow linear and roughly parallel earthwork ditches on the south-east-facing slopes below Mountstephen’s Farm, north-west of Luppitt village.
Many 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 often 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. 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.
Water can be seen to have recently flowed down the slopes from the gutters in April 1947, indicating that the systems remained in use into the mid-20th century. The quality of the available prints was relatively poor and it is possible more gutters were present than could be confidently identified and transcribed. The exact water source could not be identified from the aerial photographs or the maps available to the survey, but the position of the gutters could indicate a source originating at the farmstead, such as a pond or spring.
Catch meadow gutters typically closely follow the contours in an almost level course to ensure control over where the water is made to overflow. In this instance the ditches cross the contours obliquely, some at almost 45 degrees. This might indicate a local variation or non-specialist construction.
The earthworks could not be seen as earthworks on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010 and might have been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4442-4443 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #76055 ]
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359490	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1605 4-MAY-2010.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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