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HER Number: | MDV128201 |
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Name: | Catch meadow at Forda, South Brent |
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Summary
Narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches, interpreted as the gutters of a 19th century catch meadow irrigation system, are visible on aerial photographs taken from 1948 onwards and on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2018. The system had partly fallen out of use by the mid-19th century.
Location
Grid Reference: | SX 711 607 |
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Map Sheet: | SX76SW |
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Admin Area | Dartmoor National Park |
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Civil Parish | South Brent |
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District | South Hams |
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Ecclesiastical Parish | SOUTH BRENT |
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Protected Status: none recorded
Other References/Statuses: none recorded
Monument Type(s) and Dates
- CATCH MEADOW (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD (Between))
Full description
Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.
The earthworks do not correspond with any curvilinear features in this location.
Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2494, RAF/CPE/UK/2494 RP 3038-3039 11-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV361461.
Narrow curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.
Google, 2019, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 22-JUN-2018 ACCESSED 28-APR-2020 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363088.
Narrow curvilinear ditches are visible as 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.
Narrow curvilinear ditches, less than 2m wide, are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken from 1948 onwards and on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2018. The earthwork channels follow the contours of the southwest facing combe slope and occupy an area of circa 0.73 hectares. They are interpreted as the gutters of a 19th century catch meadow irrigation system possibly associated with the farmstead at Forda and which tapped a spring-fed stream to the north.
Catch meadow systems are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream. The water is carried along the valley sides via one or more channels or gutters and when irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow from gutter to gutter, thereby irrigating the slopes. This film of water prevented the ground freezing during the winter and raised the temperature of the grass in the spring, thereby encouraging early growth, particularly important during the hungry gap of March and April.
No features are depicted in this exact location on the available historic mapping, although the southern extent of the system has evidently been truncated by the South Devon railway (MDV22599) which was constructed in 1848, suggesting that it had at least partly fallen out of use by this time.
Sources / Further Reading
SDV336179 | Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital). |
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SDV361461 | Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2494. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2494 RP 3038-3039 11-MAR-1948. [Mapped feature: #125474 ] |
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SDV362982 | Interpretation: 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). Historic England Research Report. Digital. |
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SDV363088 | Aerial Photograph: Google. 2019. Google Earth Pro. Various. Digital. EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 22-JUN-2018 ACCESSED 28-APR-2020. |
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Associated Monuments
MDV22599 | Related to: South Devon Railway (Dartmoor section from Marley Head Tunnel to Bittaford) (Monument) |
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)
Date Last Edited: | May 4 2020 12:58PM |
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