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Summary

A simple water-meadow of probable medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as an earthwork ditch on the south and east facing combe slopes to the east of Wheel 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: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Early Medieval to XX - 1066 AD to 1904 AD)
• WATER MEADOW (Early Medieval to XX - 1066 AD to 1904 AD)

Full description

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

The probable gutter is depicted.

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

The probable gutter is depicted.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF CPE/UK/1980, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1980 4105-4106 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350276.

A probable catch meadow gutter is visible as a narrow earthwork ditch.

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

The south-western half of the probable catch meadow gutter remains visible as a narrow earthwork ditch.

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

A simple water-meadow of probable medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as an earthwork ditch on the south and east facing combe slopes to the east of Wheel Farm, 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 from March to April.
The water meadow was probably supplied by a spring or ponds to the south of Wheel Farm, and might have operated as an ‘integrated’ catch-meadow, either by mixing manure from the farmstead with the water to be distributed on the slopes as liquid fertiliser or simply using water that would otherwise have powered the farm's water wheel.
The system is depicted, although not annotated, on the Ordnance Survey First and Second Edition 25 inch maps and as such might have remained in use into the twentieth century. Due to its depiction it has not been transcribed as part of the survey. It does not appear to have been recently maintained on aerial photographs of 1947 but remains partly visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs taken in May 2007.

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
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 4105-4106 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #62716 ]

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

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

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