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Summary

A catch meadow of 19th or early-20th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as numerous parallel earthwork ditches roughly following the contours along the south-east and north-west facing slopes of a combe to the south and west of Knighton and West Wembury. Catch meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream and passing it along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters. When irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow from gutter to gutter, thereby irrigating the slopes below. Some appear to survive as earthworks on visualisations of lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (XIX to Mid 20th Century - 1801 AD to 1946 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3105-3106 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

Three narrow curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks. These and additional ditches continue north-east, where they are present on both sides of the watercourse up to Knighton.

Meridian Airmaps Limited, 1967, MAL/67027, MAL/67027 V 086-087 15-APR-1967 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351255.

The probable catch meadow gutters are visible as slight and fragmentary earthworks,

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5249 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Numerous narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches are visible along the watercourse north of West Wembury.

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

A possible catch meadow of probable 19th or twentieth century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as three parallel earthwork ditches roughly following the contours along the south-east and north-west facing slopes of a combe to the south and west of Wembury. 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 and continued in use into the twentieth century. 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 gutters are most clearly visible on aerial photographs of 1946. They are possibly visible as slight and fragmentary earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 1967 but cannot be clearly seen on later aerial photographs and have probably been levelled. Field investigation is required to ascertain the current condition of the earthworks.

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.

The gutters of a probable 19th century catchmeadow are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken from the 1940s onwards, covering more than 1 km either side of the watercourse south-west of Knighton. The water source appears to originate just north of Knighton. Many of the gutters appear to survive as earthworks and can be seen on visualisations of lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017. Only a small section was previously recorded as part of the South Devon Rapid Coastal Zone assessment.

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 3105-3106 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #63411 ]
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
SDV351255	Aerial Photograph: Meridian Airmaps Limited. 1967. MAL/67027. Meridian Airmaps Limited Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). MAL/67027 V 086-087 15-APR-1967.
SDV361470	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2017. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX5249 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)
• EDV4713 - Excavations at Wembury Bay
• 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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