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Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as narrow curvilinear and roughly parallel earthwork ditches on the north-west-facing slopes below Shelf Farm, Luppitt 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

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 RS 4301-4302 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Interconnected earthwork ditches were visible. Map object based partly on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 1982, OS/82219 V, OS/82219 V 1652 03-SEP-1982 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357675.

Interconnected earthwork ditches were visible. Map object based partly on this source.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1606 4-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359490.

The ditches were visible as very slight earthworks.

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

Subtle and narrow curvilinear water channels were visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as narrow ditches or gutters on the north-west-facing slopes below Shelf Farm, Luppitt parish. The ditches are tentatively interpreted as a possible catch meadow but might have had a rainage function.
Catch meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes. 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 narrow ditches known as gutters. The topmost gutter was blocked in the desired location, causing water to overflow, and then be ‘caught’ and redistributed by the lower, roughly parallel gutters, passing it evenly over the chosen section of 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.
Catch meadow gutters typically closely follow the contours in an almost level course to ensure control over where the water is made to overflow. In this instance the ditches cross the contours more obliquely and possibly fed into a lateral ditch on the north-eastern edge of the possible system, forming a closed loop. This might indicate a local variation or non-specialist construction. Alternatively the earthworks could be evidence of drainage ditches but this seems unlikely.
Some surface water marking might indicate that the gutters had recently been in use in April 1947. They could have been supplied with water by a stream flowing downslope immediately to the south-west. The earthworks can be seen as very slight earthworks on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010.

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 RS 4301-4302 11-APR-1947.
SDV357675	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1982. OS/82219 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/82219 V 1652 03-SEP-1982.
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
SDV359490	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1606 4-MAY-2010.

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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