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Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards at Woodhouse Farm (West Alvington), with which it was probably associated.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3030-31 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

The catch-meadow is visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX7243-SX7343 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Curvilinear ditches are identifiable as subtle earthworks.

Next Perspectives, 2006, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph, NEXT Perspectives PGA Imagery SX7343 03-JUN-2006 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351300.

The catch-meadow is visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A catch-meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards at Woodhouse Farm (West Alvington), with which it was probably associated.
Most catch meadow systems are believed to date to the post medieval period, although it is likely that they were first developed in the medieval period. Catch meadows provided a simple, inexpensive and effective form of irrigation. When irrigation was required water was diverted from a source such as a pond, river, spring or spring-fed stream and passed along the meadow slopes via one or more of the gutters, which was then caused to overflow. The lower, roughly parallel gutters then ‘caught’ and redistributed water passing it evenly over the surface of a meadow below. The gently flowing water prevented the ground freezing in winter and encouraged early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock, particularly important during the hungry gap of the March and April.
The catch meadow covers an area of nearly 2 hectares of north facing slope below Woodhouse Farm. The system comprises a series of parallel gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises 0.5km west of the farm.
This water meadow might have operated as what has been called an ‘integrated’ catch meadow, in which manure from the cow sheds within the farmyard was mixed with the water supply to supply liquid manure to the pasture.
The earthwork gutters remain partly visible on later digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2006.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Curvilinear narrow ditches visible as subtle earthworks on aerial photographs of 1946 extend the observable area of the catch meadow for up to approximately 250m west of Woodhouse Farm, beyond that previously recorded.
The visible catch meadow earthworks now extend for up to circa 4.5 ha, to the west and east of Woodhouse Farm.
The earthworks remain partly identifiable as subtle earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017, although some have been levelled by the expansion of the farmyard at Woodhouse Farm.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3030-31 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #122961 ]
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV351300	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2006. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. NEXT Perspectives PGA Imagery SX7343 03-JUN-2006.
SDV361470	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2017. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX7243-SX7343 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017.
SDV362982	Interpretation: Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R.. 2019-2020. The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP). Historic England Research Report. Digital.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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