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Summary

The remains of a post-medieval or 19th century catch meadow system is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs taken from 1946 onwards and on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Location

Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000692: FLETE
• SHINE: Earthwork ditches of extensive post medieval catch (water) meadow system and traditional farmbuildings of early twentieth century date or earlier at Hole Farm

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

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

The gutters are not depicted.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 2106-2107 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FP 2105-2106 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

Water meadow gutters are visible as earthwork ditches.

Channel Coast Observatory, 2001-2012, Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography, Channel Coastal Observatory SX6251_20120918ortho.ecw 17-SEP-2012 © CCO (Aerial Photograph). SDV351226.

The gutters are visible in many fields as earthworks, although in some they seem to have been levelled by ploughing.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX6150; SX6250 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

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

A post medieval water meadow, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible on aerial photographs between 1946 and 2012 as a series of earthwork ditches to the south and west of Flete.
Catch meadows provided a simple, inexpensive but effective form of irrigation, designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters. A larger gutter, often called a headmain, tapped water from a source such as a river, spring or spring-fed stream. When irrigation was required the headmain was dammed, causing water to overflow downslope, where the roughly parallel gutters distributed the flowing water 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. Most catchwater meadow systems are believed to date to the post medieval period, although it is possible that they were first developed in the medieval period.
The catch meadow south of Flete is extremely extensive, covering a visible area of approximately 23 hectares of south-facing slope, apparently fed from numerous springs and possibly continuing further to the west to encompass several farmsteads. It is possible that the system operated as an ‘integrated’ catch meadow, in which manure from cattle sheds within the farmyards is mixed with the water supply to supply liquid manure to the pasture.
Only the gutters within the project area have been transcribed; these are clearly visible on aerial photographs taken in 2012, and many of the earthworks probably survive.

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.

This catch meadow system was initially recorded during the South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone NMP project. It has been re-transcribed during this project from Devon County Council aerial photographs taken in 1946 and from visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013. Lidar imagery, which was unavailable to the previous survey, has provided greater clarity, as well as additional detail of this catch meadow. Earthworks previously recorded to the east at circa SX62885082 were interpreted as being of uncertain origin and so were not transcribed during this survey.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV169268	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 2106-2107 10-DEC-1946.
SDV325644	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FP 2105-2106 10-DEC-1946.
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
SDV351226	Aerial Photograph: Channel Coast Observatory. 2001-2012. Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography. Channel Coast Observatory. Digital. Channel Coastal Observatory SX6251_20120918ortho.ecw 17-SEP-2012 © CCO.
SDV361514	Cartographic: NERC. 2013. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor. Digital. LIDAR SX6150; SX6250 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013. [Mapped feature: #63967 ]
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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