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Summary

A possible catch meadow of 19th century date is visible as a series of cropmark or earthwork ditches on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2014, to the northwest of The Old Mill. It is not visible on other aerial photographs or digital images made available to the survey.

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

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB SY3393 13-JUN-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359309.

Slight possible cropmarks or earthwork ditches are visible.

Richard Sims, 2015-2016, Marshwood Vale National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Interpretation). SDV359291.

A possible catch meadow of 19th century date is visible as a series of cropmark or earthwork ditches on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2014, to the northwest of The Old Mill. 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. This possible, partial catch meadow covers an area of approximately 0.32 hectares of southeast facing slope. The system comprises a series of poorly defined and diffuse gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to be bisected by a northwest to southeast aligned drain which may have served to feed the system by diverting the flow of water from a watercourse further uphill to the northwest. It is 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 possible catch meadow is not visible on other aerial photographs or digital images made available to the survey.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6873 - Marshwood Vale National Mapping Programme project (Ref: ACD1260)

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