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Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 and 1966, at the former farmstead of Durkshayes, northwest of Rhode Farm. Its survival after this date is unclear.

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, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2281-82 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356987.

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

Ordnance Survey, 1966, OS/66184 V, OS/66184 V 169-170 22-JUL-1966 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357044.

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

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 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 and 1966, at the former farmstead of Durkshayes, northwest of Rhode Farm. 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 0.76 hectares of southwest facing slope. It comprises a series of gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap one of two spring-fed streams that rise to the northeast and southeast. Two northeast to southwest aligned earthwork ditches are visible perpendicular to the catch meadow, although it is unclear if these ditches relate to this system. The catch meadow may have been associated with a possible former, and now demolished farmstead of Durkshayes, situated to the immediate north of the system. It remains visible as a series of partial earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1966, although its survival after this date is unclear.

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
SDV356987	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2281-82 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #67679 ]
SDV357044	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1966. OS/66184 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/66184 V 169-170 22-JUL-1966.

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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