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Summary

A catch meadow of possible post-medieval to early 20th century date is visible as two earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 and 1989 on the south-east facing combe slopes south of Ley Farm. The earthworks remain partly identifiable on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1989 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2180-2181 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earttworks.

Meridian Airmaps Limited, 1971, MAL/71005, MAL/71005 V 004-005 04-FEB-1971 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363166.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earttworks.

Ordnance Survey, 1989, OS/89037, OS/89037 V 103-104 07-MAR-1989 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352115.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earttworks.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5755 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A curvilinear ditch is visible as an earttwork.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Two roughly parallel curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks 2 to 5m wide on aerial photographs of 1946 and 1989, closely following the contours of the south-east facing combe slopes south of Ley Farm.
The effects of water flowing downslope from the ditches are visible on the aerial photographs of 1989.
This supports the interpretation that the ditches were used as the gutters of a catch meadow. Such systems used springs or streams to irrigate the combe slopes rather than the valley floor and were commonly used from the post-medieval period into the early 20th century. Use of such systems in the later 20th century is unusual and might indicate a restored catch meadow.
The southernmost gutter is unusually broad for a lower catch meadow gutter and might have been a reused leat or even trackway. This ditch remains identifiable as an earthwork on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017. The northernmost earthwork has probably been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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