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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 onwards, to the east of Limetree Cross. The site of the catch meadow remains visible on aerial photographs of 1988, although is not visible after this date.

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 RP, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3280-81 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357337.

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

Meridian Airmaps Limited, 1967, MAL/67001 V, MAL/67001 V 219-220 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 catch meadow is 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 onwards, to the east 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 1.40 hectares of north facing slope. The system comprises a series of gutters which measure less than 2m in width and which appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises approximately 840m to the southwest, within Bingwell Wood. A single north to south aligned drain bisects the water meadow, although it is unclear how, or if, this ditch may be associated with this system. It is also unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farm this water meadow system might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The site of the catch meadow remains visible on aerial photographs of 1988, although is not visible after this date.

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
SDV357337	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3280-81 11-APR-1947.
SDV357340	Aerial Photograph: Meridian Airmaps Limited. 1967. MAL/67001 V. Meridian Airmaps Limited Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). MAL/67001 V 219-220 19-JAN-1967. [Mapped feature: #67761 ]
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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