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Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches on the north-east-facing slopes east of Ellishayes Farm, Combe Raleigh parish.
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

• SHINE: Traditional farm buildings associated with Grade II listed house at Ellishayes Farm and earthworks of catch (water) meadow system of probable post medieval to 20th century date to south-east

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 2445-2446 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches were visible.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution), Devon County Council 2010 Aerial Photograph mosaic (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches were visible as cropmarks and possible slight earthworks.

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 of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches on the north-east-facing slopes east of Ellishayes Farm, Combe Raleigh parish.
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.
The system east of Ellishayes Farm appeared to either be in use or have recently been used in April 1947, with the effect of running water on the combe slopes visible. The water source could not be identified with any confidence from the aerial photographs alone, but the most probable source of water for the system was a spring-fed stream rising within the farmstead. This might support the interpretation that the catch meadow could have operated as an ‘attached system’, whereby manure from the farmyard was added to the water supply as liquid fertiliser.
The gutters remained visible as slight earthworks or cropmarks on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV346026	Aerial Photograph: GeoInformation Group Ltd. 2010. 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution). 2010 Aerial Photographs. Digital. Devon County Council 2010 Aerial Photograph mosaic.
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 2445-2446 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #74389 ]
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

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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