See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of 1945 onwards as a series of approximately parallel earthwork ditches roughly following the contours along the north-west facing combe to the north-west of Worswell Barton, with which the water meadow might be associated. Catch meadow systems 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, thereby irrigating the slopes below.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to World War II - 1540 AD to 1945 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

A pond is depicted immediately to the north-west of Worswell Barton.

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

A pond is depicted immediately to the north-west of Worswell Barton.

Royal Air Force, 1945, RAF/106G/UK/967, RAF/106G/UK/967 V 4104-4105 01-NOV-1945 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351060.

Earthwork ditches, probably the gutters of a catch meadow, are visible.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SX5347 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350196.

The catch meadow gutters are visible as fragmentary 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 on aerial photographs of 1945 onwards as a series of approximately parallel earthwork ditches roughly following the contours along the north-west facing combe to the north-west of Worswell Barton, with which the water meadow might be 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. A pond is depicted immediately to the north-west of Worswell Barton on the Tithe map and First Edition 25 inch Map. This a spring-fed pond probably supplied water to the catch meadow and raises the possibility that this system might have operated as what has been called an ‘integrated’ catch meadow, in which manure from the cow sheds within the farmyard is mixed with the water supply to supply liquid manure to the pasture.
An outlying gutter is visible some 150 metres to the north-west of the main system, possibly supporting the interpretation that the catch meadow was previously significantly larger than is visible from the aerial photographs. This outlier appears to cut field boundaries and possible trackways of probable post-medieval to early 19th century date.
The catch meadow gutters are fragmentarily visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2007 but field investigation is needed to ascertain the current condition of the earthworks.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349431	Cartographic: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848. Digitised Tithe Map. Digital.
SDV350196	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2007. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SX5347 03-MAY-2007.
SDV351060	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1945. RAF/106G/UK/967. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/967 V 4104-4105 01-NOV-1945. [Mapped feature: #63413 ]
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

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)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.