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Summary

A water-meadow of probable post-medieval to 19th century date is visible on Ordnance Survey First and Second Edition 25 inch maps and aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as earthwork ditches on the combe slopes to the north and east of Hole 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 (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1904 AD)
• WATER MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1904 AD)

Full description

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

The water meadow gutters are incompletely depicted. Map object partly based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF CPE/UK/1980, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1980 3105-3106 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350276.

Narrow curvilinear water channels or gutters are visible as earthworks. Map object partly based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 1976, MAL/76048, NMR OS/76048 221-222 25-JUN-1976 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350659.

The gutters remain visible as earthworks.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: SS5943 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350196.

The gutters are visible only as cropmarks and plou levelled earthworks.

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 post-medieval to 19th century date is visible on Ordnance Survey First and Second Edition 25 inch maps and aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as earthwork ditches on the combe slopes to the north and east of Hole 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 of March and April.
The water meadow was possibly supplied with water from two sources; by tapping the stream that flows from the north-west and a spring that rises immediately south-west of the farmstead. The latter might support the interpretation that this system operated, at least in part, as an integrated catch meadow whereby manure from the farmyard was mixed to the water supply to be distributed on the slopes as liquid fertilizer.
Two gutters are fully depicted on the Ordnance Survey First and Second Edition 25 inch maps; the longest visible gutter, on the south-east facing slopes of the combe, and a shorter gutter below the farmstead on the north-west facing slopes. The water meadow therefore dates at least to the late 19th century and probably continued in use into the early twentieth century. The remaining gutters, one immediately to the south and east of the farm and one below the main gutter on the south-west facing combe slope, are not depicted or only part depicted on either map, but appear well maintained and to have been recently used on aerial photographs of April 1947.
The gutters remained visible on aerial photographs of June 1976 but appear to have been ploughed out 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: SS5943 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 3105-3106 11-APR-1947.
SDV350659	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1976. MAL/76048. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR OS/76048 221-222 25-JUN-1976.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

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

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