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Summary

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs dating to 1946 and depicted on late nineteenth century mapping. At least one gutter appears to connect with the yard at Hill Barton Farm, suggesting this is an integrated system which also distributed liquid manure across the fields.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1458866
• National Monuments Record: SS 54 NE 70
• Pastscape

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WATER MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)

Full description

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

The earthworks do not correspond to any features depicted on the map.

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

One of the gutters is depicted, but not marked, connecting with a springline.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1655, NMR RAF 106G/UK/1655 3171-3172 11-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349996.

Eight roughly parallel gutters are visible as narrow linear earthwork ditches.

Cook, H. & Williamson, T. (eds.), 2007, Water Meadows: History, Ecology and Conservation, Chapters 1 and 3 (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.

Exmoor National Park, 2009, Exmoor National Park National Mapping Programme (Archive - Survey). SDV350587.

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs dating to 1946. The system consists of eight roughly parallel gutters stretching across a single field on a north-east facing slope at Hill Barton farm above Sterridge. The system extends over an area measuring approximately 290 metres by 163 metres, covering an area of approximately 2.6 hectares, centred at SS 5546 4632.
A series of approximately parallel gutters were used to distribute flowing water evenly over the meadow in order to encourage early growth in spring and prevent freezing in winter. At least one gutter appears to connect with the yard at Hill Barton Farm, suggesting this is an integrated system which also distributed liquid manure across the fields.

Knight, S., 2012, Backlog Input Element of the North Devon Coast AONB National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV350734.

One of the earthworks is depicted on the 1904-1906 Ordnance Survey mapping and seems to have been fed by a springline, but is not marked on the 1880s-1890s Ordnance Survey map. It may therefore have been a relatively late catchmeadow system established in the very late nineteenth or very early twentieth century, and remaining in use until at least the mid twentieth century.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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