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Summary

Narrow curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s, and digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016, on the gentle west-facing slopes west of Webble Green Cross, Membury parish. The ditches are possibly 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.

Two narrow and shallow curvilinear ditches were visible as earthworks. Map object based partly on this source.

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

Narrow and shallow curvilinear ditches were visible as very sight earthworks. 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.

Narrow and shallow roughly parallel curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as subtle earthworks on the gentle slopes west of Webble Green Cross, Membury parish.
The ditches are interpreted as the possible gutters of a small 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 higher ditch corresponds with part of a water channel depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map, not marked on the current OS MasterMap. Water could be seen flowing downslope from this channel on aerial photographs of 1947, possibly supporting the interpretation that the system remained operational into the mid-20th century. The lower channel was not marked on the historic map.
The gutters remain visible as very slight earthworks on digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014.

Sources / Further Reading

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.
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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