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Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as two earthwork ditches on aerial photographs from 1946 onwards, at Higher Batson.

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 4018-19 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

The catch meadow is visible as two earthwork ditches.

Next Perspectives, 2002, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph, NEXT Perspectives PGA Imagery SX7339 13-SEP-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351301.

The catch-meadow remains visible as two 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 two earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards at Higher Batson. 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 approximately 0.2 hectares of south facing slope to the north of Higher Batson. The system comprises two parallel gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises 180m to the west. It is unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farm this water meadow system might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The earthwork gutters remain partly visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002.

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 4018-19 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #63381 ]
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
SDV351301	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2002. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. NEXT Perspectives PGA Imagery SX7339 13-SEP-2002.

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)

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