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Summary

A water meadow of possible post-medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as earthwork ditches on the south and north-facing slopes flanking a tributary stream to the East Wilder Brook, between Winsham Farm with which it is probably associated, and Winsham Wood. Known locally as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, such water meadows are typically found on combe or hill slopes and are supplied with water by tapping warm springs or streams.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1904 AD)
• WATER MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD)

Full description

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

Three catch meadow gutters are depicted centred at circa SS521461. Only two are clearly visible on aerial photographs of 1947.

Royal Air Force, 19/05/1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2082, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/2082 4068-4069 19-MAY-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350392.

Water channels of a catch meadow system are visible as slight earthworks to the south of a tributary to East Wilder Brook, west of Winsham Farm. The possible gutters to the north of the stream cannot be seen.

Ordnance Survey, 1969, OS/69054, NMR OS/69/054 002-003 02-APR-1969 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350511.

Water channels of a catch meadow system are visible as slight earthworks to the north and south of a tributary to East Wilder Brook, west of Winsham Farm.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref SS5246 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350196.

Only slight and subtle earthworks remain visible.

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

A water meadow of possible post-medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as earthwork ditches on the south and north-facing slopes either side of a tributary stream to the East Wilder Brook, between Winsham Farm to the east and Winsham Wood to the west. It is likely that the system of irrigation is associated with Winsham Farm and tapped the stream for its water supply.
Known locally as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, such water meadows are typically found on combe or hill slopes. They irrigate the pasture slopes with water diverted from warm springs or streams by passing it along a the top of the slope in a water channel or ‘headmain’ and, when irrigation was required, causing the channel to overflow, the water passing evenly own the slope via a series of lower roughly parallel water channels or ‘gutters’.
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 western ends of the gutters are the only part of the system to be depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map. This might support the interpretation that the remaining elements of the system had passed out of use by circa 1890. This might be supported by the fact that by 1947 all gutters to the south of the stream appear to be grassed over and to not have been maintained for some time. The gutters to the north of the stream, to the immediate west of Winsham Farm, can only be seen on low light verticals of April 1969 and also appear to be relict features. They are more widely spaced than the gutters to the south and appear more planned in character. The different elements of this water meadow do not appear to be part of a unified design, and might be evidence of a system which evolved over a considerable period of time. Slight and subtle earthworks remain visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in May 2007.

Sources / Further Reading

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
SDV350196	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2007. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref SS5246 03-MAY-2007.
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 4068-4069 19-MAY-1947.
SDV350511	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1969. OS/69054. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR OS/69/054 002-003 02-APR-1969.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

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

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