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Summary

A possible simple catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s and digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 as a narrow curvilinear earthwork ditch or gutter on the gentle south-east facing slopes of a combe, south of Bennettshayes farm, 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 2451-2452 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

A narrow curvilinear earthwork ditch was visible.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST1103 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

A narrow curvilinear ditch was visible as an earthwork.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1103 22-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

The south-east of the ditch was visible as a cropmark.

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

A narrow curvilinear ditch or gutter was visible on aerial photographs of 1947 and digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 as a narrow earthwork on the gentle south-east facing slopes of a combe, south of Bennettshayes farm, Awliscombe parish.
The channel or gutter south of Bennettshayes is tentatively interpreted as a possible simple catch meadow of probable post-medieval to 20th century date. The earthwork appeared to be under pasture and showed no evidence of recent maintenance or use on the aerial photographs of 1947.
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 contour 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.
The visible earthwork appears to originate close to a the course of a spring-fed stream in the grounds of Mount Pleasant Cottage, and closely follows the slope to the north-east for circa 120 metres, between the 160 and 155 metre contours.
The possible gutter remained visible as slight earthworks on digital images derived from lidar data captured between 2008 and 2014 and as a cropmark on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010, and subtle earthwork ditches may therefore 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 2451-2452 11-APR-1947.
SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1103 22-MAY-2010.
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST1103 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014. [Mapped feature: #76646 ]
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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