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HER Number: | MDV115105 |
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Name: | Catch Meadow at Crosses Farm |
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Summary
A possible catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1944 and 1948, at Crosses Farm. The catch meadow is not visible after 1948 and its survival is uncertain.
Location
Grid Reference: | ST 170 108 |
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Map Sheet: | ST11SE |
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Admin Area | Devon |
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Civil Parish | Clayhidon |
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District | Mid Devon |
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Ecclesiastical Parish | CLAYHIDON |
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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
United States Airforce, 1944, US/7PH/GP/LOC252, US/7PH/GP/LOC252 RS 4005-06 20-MAR-1944 (Aerial Photograph). SDV358580.
Earthwork ditches are visible.
Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2491, RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RP 3195-96 11-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359578.
Earthwork ditches are visible.
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 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1944 and 1948, at Crosses Farm, with which it was possibly associated. 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 1 hectare of moderate east facing slope. The system comprises a series of gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises somewhere to the south. This water meadow might have operated as what has been called an ‘integrated’ catch meadow, in which manure from the cow sheds within the farmyard was mixed with the water supply to supply liquid manure to the pasture. A partial catch meadow system is also visible to the south (MDV115104), although have been recorded as separate monuments as it is unclear whether they represent part of the same system. The catch meadow is not visible after 1948 and its survival is uncertain.
Sources / Further Reading
SDV358580 | Aerial Photograph: United States Airforce. 1944. US/7PH/GP/LOC252. United States Airforce. Photograph (Paper). US/7PH/GP/LOC252 RS 4005-06 20-MAR-1944. |
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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. |
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| Linked documents:2 |
SDV359578 | Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2491. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RP 3195-96 11-MAR-1948. [Mapped feature: #74420 ] |
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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)
Date Last Edited: | Mar 20 2018 12:51PM |
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