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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 1946 and 1950, at Barton’s Farm Lands, with which it was probably associated. It is not visible on aerial photographs after 1950 or recent digital images and has since possibly been completely levelled.

Location

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

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/221 V, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/221 V 5380-81 11-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357046.

The possible catch meadow is visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/541/534, RAF/541/534 RP 3089-90 30-MAY-1950 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357615.

Earthwork ditches are partly 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 1946 and 1950, at Barton’s Farm Lands, with which it was probably 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 possible catch meadow covers an area of approximately 1.27 hectares of northwest facing slope on the northern side of Barton’s Farm Lands. The system comprises a series of parallel gutters which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises approximately 70m to the south of the farm. 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. The possible catch meadow is not visible on aerial photographs after 1950 or recent digital images and has since possibly been completely levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV357046	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/3G/TUD/UK/221 V. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/3G/TUD/UK/221 V 5380-81 11-JUL-1946. [Mapped feature: #74992 ]
SDV357615	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1950. RAF/541/534. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/541/534 RP 3089-90 30-MAY-1950.
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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