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Summary

A possible catch meadow system of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards, to the south of Higher Moorhayne. The catch meadow remains visible on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3310-11 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

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

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST2407 Bluesky International DTM 24 & 30-APR-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

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

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A possible catch meadow system of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards, to the south of Higher Moorhayne. 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 2 hectares of northeast facing slope and comprises a series of gutters which measure less than 2m in width. A possible head-main is visible at approximately ST24070758 which appears to tap a spring-fed stream to the north of the system. 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. There is some uncertainty, however, as to the function of the eastern most earthwork recorded as part of this system which closely respects both a double-banked field boundary (MDV114750) as well as the catch meadow gutters. The catch meadow remains visible as a series of earthwork ditches on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3310-11 11-APR-1947.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST2407 Bluesky International DTM 24 & 30-APR-2016. [Mapped feature: #74083 ]

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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