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 post-medieval to nineteenth century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s to the 1960s as roughly parallel narrow earthwork ditches on the south-facing slope to the south of Land Farm, Silverton.
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.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4251-4252 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356902.

Catch meadow gutters are visible as narrow earthwork ditches.

Ordnance Survey, 1967, OS/67040, OS/67040 V 39-40 18-APR-1967 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356895.

The gutters could be seen as subtle earthwork ditches.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9604 22-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

The gutters could not be seen and have probably been levelled.

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

A catch meadow of probable post-medieval to nineteenth century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s to the 1960s as roughly parallel narrow earthwork ditches on the south-facing slope to the south of Land Farm, Silverton.
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.
In this instance the system was most likely supplied with water supply from a spring-fed streams that rise to the north-west and south of the farmstead and flow south-westwards below the farm. The gutters remained identifiable as very slight and grassed over earthworks on aerial photographs of 1967 but could not be seen on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2010 and have probably been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9604 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
SDV356895	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1967. OS/67040. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/67040 V 39-40 18-APR-1967.
SDV356902	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4251-4252 04-NOV-1946. [Mapped feature: #67645 ]

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

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

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