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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 gentle south-west facing slopes of a combe, east of Three Corners Cross, Awliscombe 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 FS 2450-2451 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Three narrow and shallow curvilinear earthwork ditches were visible.

Next Perspectives, 2006, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph - Digital Elevation Data, Next Perspectives APGB Elevation Data ST1203 03-JUN-2006 (Cartographic). SDV359482.

The ditches remained visible as 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.

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 gentle south-west facing slopes of a combe, east of Three Corners Cross, Awliscombe parish.
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.
The gutters were probably laid out to tap the stream running along the combe at circa ST12760331. However, on aerial photographs of April 1947 the gutters appeared to be under pasture, and no evidence of water flowing on the slopes could be seen. This probably supports the interpretation that the system had passed out of use by this date. The gutters remained visible as slight earthworks on digital images derived from elevation data of 2006, and subtle earthwork ditches may survive.

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 2450-2451 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #76613 ]
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
SDV359482	Cartographic: Next Perspectives. 2006. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photograph - Digital Elevation Data. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Elevation Data ST1203 03-JUN-2006.

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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