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Summary

A probable catch meadow of possible 19th century date is visible as a series of broad earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, at Hayne.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to Modern - 1540 AD to 2013 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4314-15 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356902.

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

Environment Agency, 1998-2012, LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution), LIDAR SS9607 Environment Agency DSM 19-DEC-2005 & 14-20 FEB-2012 (Cartographic). SDV357034.

The catch meadow is partly visible as a series of earthworks on digital images derived from Lidar data captured during 2005 and 2012.

Next Perspectives, 2002, Pan Government Agreement, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9607 29-SEP-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356896.

The catch meadow is partly visible as a series of earthworks.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

A probable catch meadow of possible 19th century date is visible as a series of broad earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, at Hayne. 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 March and April. The catch meadow covers an area of approximately 0.70 hectares of north facing slope. The system comprises a series of broad curvilinear earthwork ditches, or possible terraces, which measure between 6-8m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises approximately 80m to the southeast, on the opposing side of Hayne Lane and possibly fed via an underground culvert. It is unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farm this probable water meadow system might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The catch meadow remains visible as a series of broad earthworks on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2002 and from Lidar data captured during 2005 and 2012.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV356896	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2002. Pan Government Agreement. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9607 29-SEP-2002.
SDV356902	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4314-15 04-NOV-1946. [Mapped feature: #66902 ]
SDV357034	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2012. LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SS9607 Environment Agency DSM 19-DEC-2005 & 14-20 FEB-2012.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

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