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Summary

A catchmeadow system south and west of Almshayne Farm is visible as a series of curvilinear earthwork ditches on aerial photographs taken from the 1940s onwards, partly depicted on late nineteenth century mapping. Earthworks are very likely to survive.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (XVIII to XIX - 1701 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Two curvilinear features are depicted.

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

Two curvilinear features are depicted, with a sluice.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 4072-4073 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Two curvilinear earthwork ditches are visible. Map object partly based on this source.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery ST0914 22-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

Two curvilinear earthwork ditches are visible. Map object partly based on this source.

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

Two narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches, less than 2 metres wide, are visible on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards on a combe slope south and west of Almshayne Farm. Their location and alignment along the contour indicate that these were gutters of a catchmeadow system of probable nineteenth or early twentieth century date.
Many 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 often 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.
This catch meadow system appears to have been taken off the watercourse along the field boundary to the north, which is depicted on historic mapping, as is a sluice at the junction of the watercourse and the westernmost gutter. It is possible that the watercourse was fed by a pond upslope at ST0935014874, which could potentially have been enriched with manure from Almshayne farmstead, although the aerial photographs do not provide firm evidence of this.
The majority of the earthworks visible on aerial photographs have been depicted on the historic mapping. However one segment is not and it is possible that this part had fallen into disuse by the late nineteenth century. For clarity, all of the visible earthwork ditches have been transcribed, including those depicted on historic mapping. Earthworks appear to have survived well in 2010.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV325644	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 4072-4073 11-APR-1947.
SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery ST0914 22-MAY-2010.
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

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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