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Summary

A water meadow of probable 19th century date was visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as earthwork ditches and water channels on the western bank of the Luppit Brook, south of Penny Thorn Cross, Luppitt Parish.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The curvilinear gutter or leat was depicted, connected to water courses by sluices.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 4442-4443 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Linear and curvilinear earthwork gutters were visible.

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1604 08-SEP-2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

The curvilinear gutter or leat remained visible as a slight earthwork.

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

A water meadow of probable 19th century date was visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as curvilinear and linear earthwork ditches and water channels on the western bank of the Luppit Brook, south of Penny Thorn Cross, Luppitt Parish.
The primary feature of the possible water meadow was a curvilinear ditch or leat almost 700 metres long, that abstracted water from the Luppitt Brook at its northern end via a sluice and again from a small tributary to the brook about halfway along its length. Both the water channel and sluices were depicted on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch First Edition map.
On the aerial photographs of 1947 multiple narrow and parallel ditches were visible between the two sluices, connecting with either the leat or Luppitt Brook. These extended over the combe floor or lowest gentle slopes, and would appear to have had little effectiveness as drainage channels. As such, they are interpreted here as possible carriers or drains, the components of a possible local type of valley bottom bedwork style water meadow.
The leat or main carrier remains visible as an earthwork on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2014 but the smaller channels cannot be seen as earthworks and have probably been levelled.
The possible bedwork variant might have operated in tandem, or possibly as part of, a simple catch meadow system on the slightly higher slopes immediately to the west.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 4442-4443 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #74503 ]
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
SDV359479	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2014. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1604 08-SEP-2014.

Associated Monuments

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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