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Summary

Narrow curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s, 1980s and digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016, on the gentle west-facing slopes west of Webble Farm, Membury parish. The ditches are probably the remains of a catch meadow of 19th century date.

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/1975, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2315-2316 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359646.

Multiple narrow and shallow curvilinear ditches were visible as earthworks.

Ordnance Survey, 1982, OS/82219 V, OS/82219 V 1677-1678 03-SEP-1982 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357675.

Multiple narrow and shallow curvilinear ditches were visible as very sight earthworks.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST2505 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

Multiple narrow and shallow curvilinear ditches were visible as very sight earthworks.

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

Three narrow and shallow roughly parallel curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards as subtle earthworks on the gentle slopes west of Webble Farm, Membury parish.
The ditches are interpreted as the possible gutters of a substantial catch meadow irrigation system. Catch meadows were popular in the 19th century but many have an earlier origin and often continued in use into the mid-20th century.
The possible gutters were not depicted on any historic maps available to the survey and did not appear to have been recently used on aerial photographs of April 1947, possibly supporting the interpretation that the system was unused by this date. The system was probably fed by a stream to the south-east.
The gutters remain visible as very slight earthworks on aerial photographs of 1982 and digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV357675	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1982. OS/82219 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/82219 V 1677-1678 03-SEP-1982.
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST2505 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014. [Mapped feature: #78509 ]
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
SDV359646	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1975. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2315-2316 11-APR-1947.

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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