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Summary

A possible water-meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as a three earthwork ditches on the combe slopes to the north of Woolscott Barton. Known locally as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, such water meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters, which were caused to overflow when irrigation was required. Their use was particularly important during the hungry gap between March and April.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (XIX to XX - 1801 AD to 1904 AD)
• WATER MEADOW (XIX to XX - 1801 AD to 1904 AD)

Full description

1840, Tithe Map of the Parish of Berrynarbor (Cartographic). SDV350468.

The extent of the former hamlet of Woolscott is depicted.

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

The gutters are depicted but not annotated.

Royal Air Force, 19/05/1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2082, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/2082 4065-4066 19-MAY-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350392.

The probable gutters are clearly visible crossing the earthworks of the former hamlet of Woolscott.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

The gutters are depicted but not annotated.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1655, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1655 4131-2 11--JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349996.

Probable gutters of a catchwork water meadow are visible.

Ordnance Survey, 1989, OS/89114, NMR OS/89114 663-664 04-MAY-1989 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350315.

The probable gutters remain visible.

Cook, H. & Williamson, T. (eds.), 2007, Water Meadows: History, Ecology and Conservation (Monograph). SDV349525.

Catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter water meadows are a type of water meadow distinctive to the south-west of England. Their form and function are described in chapters 1 and 3.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S., 2011 - 2012, North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV349018.

A water-meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as three earthwork ditches centred on circa SS548451, on the combe slopes to the north of Woolscott Barton, with which it is probably associated.
Such water-meadows, known as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream. The water is carried along the valley sides via one or more channels or gutters and when irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow from gutter to gutter, thereby irrigating the slopes. This film of water prevented the ground freezing during the winter and raised the temperature of the grass in the spring, thereby encouraging early growth, particularly important during the hungry gap of March and April.
The visible gutters appear to be laid out to tap a spring-fed stream which rises to the south-west of Woolscott Barton, and designed to irrigate an area of approximately 2 hectares of combe slope. The gutter to the west of the stream probably makes use of a hedgerow ditch for approximately 70 metres of its length, centred at circa SS54704526, but can be transcribed only where visible to the north and south. The gutters are partly depicted, but not labelled, on the Ordnance Survey first and second edition 25 inch maps. They remain visible on Ordnance Survey aerial photographs of 1989 but are not clearly visible on later aerial photographs available to the survey, and have probably been levelled by modern agricultural activity. The gutters are laid out across an area of former fields and buildings, part of the former hamlet of Woolscott as depicted on the 1840 tithe map for Berrynarbor, which could support the interpretation that the gutters are of med to late 19th century date.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV325644	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349018	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S.. 2011 - 2012. North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. ACD383/2/1. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV349525	Monograph: Cook, H. & Williamson, T. (eds.). 2007. Water Meadows: History, Ecology and Conservation. Water Meadows: History, Ecology and Conservation.
SDV349996	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1655. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/106G/UK/1655 4131-2 11--JUL-1946.
SDV350315	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1989. OS/89114. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR OS/89114 663-664 04-MAY-1989.
SDV350392	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 19/05/1947. RAF/CPE/UK/2082. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/CPE/UK/2082 4065-4066 19-MAY-1947.
SDV350468	Cartographic: 1840. Tithe Map of the Parish of Berrynarbor. Tithe Map.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project

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