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Summary

A small possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as an earthwork ditch or gutter to the west of Stockwell Farm. The earthwork gutters have probably been levelled.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1946 AD (Between))
• QUARRY? (Post Medieval to XXI - 1540 AD to 2012 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1823, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RP 3248-3249 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354994.

A curvilinear earthwork ditch was visible.

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

A small catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as an earthwork ditch or gutter to the west of Stockwell Farm.
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 March and April.
In this instance the possible catch meadow was probably supplied with water by tapping a spring-fed stream at circa SS97000291. A small pit might cut the gutter at circa SS97920288, possibly the remains of a later quarry pit. The gutter cannot be identified as an earthwork ditch on later images and has probably been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV354994	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1823. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RP 3248-3249 04-NOV-1946. [Mapped feature: #67797 ]
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

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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