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Summary

Two narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches visible on aerial photographs of 1946 on the south-east facing slopes of a combe south of Renton Lane, Ringmore, are probably the remains of a small catch meadow of 19th to early 20th century date. The earthworks have probably been levelled.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (XVIII to Mid 20th Century - 1800 AD to 1946 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

A depicted area of rough ground probably indicates a spring at circa SX65114816.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 RP 3084-3085 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX6448-SX6548 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as very subtle earthworks.

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.

At least five roughly parallel curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks circa 1.5m wide on aerial photographs of 1946 closely following the contours of the south-east facing combe slopes south-east of Higher South Langston.
The channels are probably the gutters of a small catch meadow of 19th to early 20th century date.
Originating in the medieval period, catch meadows were in widespread use in Devon in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Such systems irrigated combe slopes rather than valley floors using water abstracted from springs or streams. In this instance, a spring at circa SX65114816, to the north-east end of the system was probably the water source.
A ditch linking the lower three gutters might have acted as a drain returning excess water to the stream to the south.
The ditches are not identifiable on more recent aerial photographs available to the survey but very subtle earthworks are identifiable on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

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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