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Summary

A possible former catch meadow of probable medieval to post-medieval date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1960s as two shallow curvilinear earthwork ditches on a gentle south and east-facing slope north-east of Lakes Bridge, Brampford Speke.
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 (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1880 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The gutters do not correspond to any depicted features.

Fairy Surveys Ltd, 1964, FSL/6412 V, FSL/6412 V 1020-1021 07-FEB-1964 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357115.

Two narrow and shallow earthwork ditches were visible.

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

A possible former catch meadow of probable medieval to 19th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1960s as two shallow curvilinear earthwork ditches on a gentle south and east-facing slope north-east of Lakes Bridge, Brampford Speke.
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 water source is unclear, but was probably a spring rising in the vicinity of Bridge Cottages. The gutters are difficult to define on the aerial photographs of 1964 and may not have been maintained for some time by this date. They are not depicted on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch first edition map and had probably passed out of use by this time. They are not identifiable as earthworks on more recent aerial photographs and have probably been levelled.

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
SDV357115	Aerial Photograph: Fairy Surveys Ltd. 1964. FSL/6412 V. Fairy Surveys Ltd aerial photograph. Photograph (Paper). FSL/6412 V 1020-1021 07-FEB-1964. [Mapped feature: #73064 ]

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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