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Summary

A water-meadow of probable medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as earthwork ditches on the south facing combe slopes to the east of Henstridge 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 water 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

• SHINE: Earthwork ditches of catchmeadow system dating from the medieval to 19th century at Henstridge

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1889 AD)
• WATER MEADOW (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1889 AD)

Full description

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

The earthwork gutters do not correspond with any features depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF CPE/UK/1980, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1980 4104-4105 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350276.

Narrow earthwork ditches are visible as earthworks.

Ordnance Survey, 1989, OS/89114, NMR OS/89114 658-659 04-MAY-1989 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350315.

The course of the gutters is largely visible but is partly largely obscured by scrub vegetation.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:SS5844 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350196.

The course of the gutters is visible in part but is largely obscured by scrub vegetation.

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 medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as earthwork ditches on the south facing combe slopes to the east of Henstridge Farm. 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 from March to April.
The water meadow probably tapped either a spring which marked on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Map rising at circa SS58154474 or a spring-fed stream that flows roughly eastwards along the combe to the south.
The lower of the easternmost gutters, centred on circa SS58424480, is visible as a double linear ditch which might support the interpretation it had originally been routed along the base of a former hedgebank, a common practice in the nineteenth century.
The system is not depicted on the Ordnance Survey first edition 25 inch map and the water meadow had therefore probably fallen out of use by the late 19th century. The gutters remain visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1989 but are largely obscured by scrub vegetation 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:SS5844 03-MAY-2007.
SDV350276	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF CPE/UK/1980. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1980 4104-4105 11-APR-1947.
SDV350315	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1989. OS/89114. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR OS/89114 658-659 04-MAY-1989.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

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

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