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Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to nineteenth century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards as roughly parallel earthwork ditches on the south-west-facing combe slope to the north-east of Coblands 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 4252-4253 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356902.

Catch meadow gutters are visible as narrow earthwork ditches. Map object based partly on this source.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, LIDAR SS9504 Environment Agency DSM 19 Dec 2005 & 14-20 Feb 2012 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

Catch meadow gutters are visible as narrow earthwork ditches. Map object based partly on this source.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SS9504 29-SEP-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

The gutters were clearly visible as earthwork ditches.

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

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to nineteenth century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards as roughly parallel earthwork ditches on the south-west-facing combe slope to the north-east of Coblands 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 stream that rises to the north-west of Land Farm and flow southwards below the farm before dog-legging westwards. The gutters remained identifiable as very clear earthworks, albeit grassed over, on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 and on digital images derived from lidar captured taken in 2005 and 2012. It is possible the gutters were slightled by later quarry or extractive pits, recorded separately.

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 SS9504 29-SEP-2002.
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
SDV356902	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4252-4253 04-NOV-1946.

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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