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Summary

A possible water-meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs between the 1940s and 1980s as five earthwork ditches on the combe slopes to the east and west of Ettiford Farm. 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 survival is not known.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD (Between))
• WATER MEADOW (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Two of the gutters are depicted but not annotated.

Royal Air Force, 19/05/1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2082, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/2082 3065-3066 19-MAY-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350392.

The probable gutters are clearly visible as linear earthwork ditches.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1501, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1501 4253-4254 13-MAY-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349927.

Probable gutters of a catchwork water meadow are visible.

Ordnance Survey, 1989, OS/89114, NMR OS/89114 684-685 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.

Five linear ditches visible as earthworks on aerial photographs between 1946 and 1989 are interpreted as field gutters of a nineteenth century valley water-meadow at Ettiford Farm. They are clearly defined with wetter land on their southern downslope sides in the 1940s aerial photographs, and were probably still in use in the mid twentieth century. One of the ditches may extend into the field to the east, perhaps responsible for the sharp differentiation in tone between the upper and lower slopes, but no earthworks are visible in this field.
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 extend east and west of Ettiford Farm, and seem to be designed to irrigate an area of approximately 3 hectares of combe slope. The gutters are partly depicted, but not labelled, on the Ordnance Survey first edition 25 inch map. The gutter centred at SS5467444196 to the east of the farm was probably fed by the hedgerow ditch to the north, and the gutter centred at SS5461844204 may have been fed by a spring rising at the farm; two wells are marked here on the late nineteenth century mapping.
The gutters remain visible on Ordnance Survey aerial photographs of 1989 but are not clearly visible on later aerial photographs available to the survey, and may have been levelled by modern agricultural activity.

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
SDV349525	Monograph: Cook, H. & Williamson, T. (eds.). 2007. Water Meadows: History, Ecology and Conservation. Water Meadows: History, Ecology and Conservation.
SDV349927	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1501. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/106G/UK/1501 4253-4254 13-MAY-1946.
SDV350315	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1989. OS/89114. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR OS/89114 684-685 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 3065-3066 19-MAY-1947. [Mapped feature: #62636 ]

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project (Ref: ACD383/2/1)

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