HeritageGateway - Home
Site Map
Text size: A A A
You are here: Home > > > > Devon & Dartmoor HER Result
Devon & Dartmoor HERPrintable version | About Devon & Dartmoor HER | Visit Devon & Dartmoor HER online...

See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.


HER Number:MDV115165
Name:Catch Meadows North and West of Hayne Farm, Upottery parish

Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards and digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016 as narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches on the west-facing slopes north and west of Hayne Farm, Upottery 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

Grid Reference:ST 193 048
Map Sheet:ST10SE
Admin AreaDevon
Civil ParishUpottery
DistrictEast Devon
Ecclesiastical ParishLUPPITT
Ecclesiastical ParishUPOTTERY

Protected Status: none recorded

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 FP20 4438-4439 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Narrow and shallow earthwork ditches were visible. Map object based partly on this source.


Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1904 04-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359490.

Fragmentary narrow and shallow earthwork ditches were visible. Map object based partly on this source.


Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1904 08-SEP-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

Fragmentary narrow and shallow earthwork ditches were visible.


Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST1904 Bluesky International DTM 30-APR-2016 & 04-MAY-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

narrow and shallow earthwork ditches were visible.Map object based partly on this source.


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 the 1940s onwards and digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016 as narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches on the west-facing slopes north and west of Hayne Farm, Upottery 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. Any lower gutters, usually roughly parallel to the top gutter or ‘headmain’ then ‘caught’ and redistributed water passing it evenly over the surface of the 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 gutters to the west of Hayne Farm appeared to either be in use or have recently been used in April 1947, with the effect of running water visible on the combe slopes.
The most probable source of water for the system were two spring-fed streams rising to the east of the farmstead, and flowing westwards towards a tributary of the River Otter. The southern of the two appears to have been channelled through the farmstead. The gutters downslope might therefore have operated as an attached system, whereby farmyard was added to the water supply to create liquid manure.
Elements of the gutters were visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010 and 2014, and sections of the possible catch meadow therefore probably survive as earthworks.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356127Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP20 4438-4439 11-APR-1947.
SDV359463Interpretation: 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
SDV359479Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2014. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1904 08-SEP-2014.
SDV359490Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1904 04-MAY-2010.
SDV359714Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST1904 Bluesky International DTM 30-APR-2016 & 04-MAY-2016.

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