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: | MDV115349 |
---|
Name: | Possible Catch Meadow north of South Wood Farm, Cotleigh |
---|
Summary
A possible simple catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as a short and narrow earthwork ditch on the south-east facing slopes north of South Wood Farm.
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 209 041 |
---|
Map Sheet: | ST20SW |
---|
Admin Area | Devon |
---|
Civil Parish | Cotleigh |
---|
District | East Devon |
---|
Ecclesiastical Parish | COTLEIGH |
---|
Protected Status: none recorded
Other References/Statuses: none recorded
Monument Type(s) and Dates
- CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1937 AD (Between))
Full description
Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2438-2439 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.
A narrow earthwork ditch was 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 simple catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as a short and narrow earthwork ditch on the south-east facing slopes north of South Wood Farm.
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, 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.
Water spilling downslope from this ditch might indicate that this gutter was in use in April 1947. The gutter was not visible as an earthwork on more recent images and might have been levelled.
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 FS 2438-2439 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #74676 ] |
|
| |
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)
Date Last Edited: | Mar 20 2018 12:54PM |
---|
Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.