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Summary

A possible simple catch meadow was visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as two narrow ditches or gutters on the east facing slopes east of Blackenfields Farm, Luppitt. The ditch might survive as a subtle earthwork.

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 4442-4443 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

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

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1605 4-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359490.

Curvilinear 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.

Two narrow curvilinear ditches were visible east facing slopes east of Blackenfields Farm, Luppit, on aerial photographs of 1947.
The ditches are interpreted as evidence of a simple catch meadow. 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 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 the March and April.
Some surface water marking might indicate that the gutters had recently been in use in April 1947. The water source could not be identified from the aerial photographs or the maps available to the survey, but the position of the gutters could indicate a source originating at the farmstead, such as a pond or spring.
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 laterally in places, but mostly obliquely, at almost 45 degrees. This might indicate a local variation or non-specialist construction.
The earthworks can be seen as very slight earthworks under pasture 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 4442-4443 11-APR-1947.
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 ST1605 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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