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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 1967, at the former farmstead of Haypark, to the northwest of Limetree Cross.

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

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

The catch meadow appears to be fed from a stream and drain both depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of between the 1880’s-90’s.

Meridian Airmaps Limited, 1967, MAL/67001 V, MAL/67001 V 218-219 19-JAN-1967 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357340.

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

Ordnance Survey, 1988, OS/88278 V, OS/88278 V 001-02 02-OCT-1988 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357342.

The site of the catch meadow has been completely levelled and the area developed for residential housing.

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 1967, at the former farmstead of Haypark, to the northwest of Limetree Cross. 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 0.51 hectares of northeast facing slope, approximately 80m to the northwest of the former farmstead of Haypark. The system comprises a series of gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map which rises approximately 197m to the southeast. This stream appears to be diverted to carry water downslope into the Grand Western Canal and possibly feeding the gutters either side of this. This water meadow might have operated as what has been called an ‘integrated’ catch meadow, in which manure from the cow sheds within the farmyard was mixed with the water supply to supply liquid manure to the pasture. The catch meadow has been completely levelled and the area developed for residential housing on aerial photographs of 1988.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
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
SDV357340	Aerial Photograph: Meridian Airmaps Limited. 1967. MAL/67001 V. Meridian Airmaps Limited Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). MAL/67001 V 218-219 19-JAN-1967. [Mapped feature: #67758 ]
SDV357342	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1988. OS/88278 V. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). OS/88278 V 001-02 02-OCT-1988.

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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