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Summary

Narrow curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s on the gentle south-facing slopes east of Lower Lye Farm, Stockland 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/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4430-4431 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

A narrow and shallow curvilinear ditch was visible as very sight earthwork overflowing with water.

Ordnance Survey, 2000, OS/00973, OS/00973 V 63-64 19-MAR-2000 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359480.

The curvilinear ditch was not visible as an earthwork.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST2405 Bluesky International DTM 24-APR-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

The curvilinear ditch was not visible as an earthwork.

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

Four narrow and shallow roughly parallel curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of 1947 as subtle earthworks on the gentle south-facing slopes east of Lower Lye Farm, Stockland parish.
The ditches are interpreted as the possible gutters of a 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 but appear to have been recently used on aerial photographs of April 1947. This supports the interpretation that the system was still un use in the mid-20th century,the system was probably fed by a stream to the north-west.
The gutters were not identifiable as earthworks on aerial photographs of 2000 or and digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016 and have probably been levelled.

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 4430-4431 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
SDV359480	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 2000. OS/00973. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/00973 V 63-64 19-MAR-2000.
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST2405 Bluesky International DTM 24-APR-2016.

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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