See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Leat excavated & found to be part of the water meadow system to the north of Clapperentale Farm

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Post Medieval to XXI - 1540 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Pearce, P., 2004, Archaeological Recording on the Tale Valley Water Meadow System, Escot, East Devon (Report - Evaluation). SDV319640.

In 2004 two trenches were excavated by Exeter Archaeology to investigate the nature of the watercourses & associated earthworks in the water meadow system to the north of Clapperentale Farm. Trench 1 exposed a 3m wide flat-bottomed leat 0.75m deep on the eastern side & 0.2m deep to the west. Remnants of a wooden plank & two wooden posts on the western side suggested a revetment raised the side of the leat. After falling into disuse the leat was sealed beneath 0.12m of silt with 0.9m of redeposited soil levelling the ground above. The leat was presumably supplying water for the mill at Clapperentale Farm as well as the water meadows.

Brown, D. + Williamson, T., Unknown, Escot Park, Devon: Feasibility Study for the Restoration of the Water Meadows, Mill Leat and Watermill Supply, 5-6; Figures 1a, 1b and 2 (Report - non-specific). SDV351549.

The second leat, leat 2, is now filled in and obliterated north of Area 1. It originally began at a weir in the river Tale, north of the present railway line. From here it ran in a straight course - clearly shown on the 6 inch First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1883, and still to some extent discernible on the ground today - to a point just to the north of Clapperentale Farm. Here it swung to the south-west, and disappeared into a culvert (which still seems to survive intact). This conducts it to a 19th century waterwheel, attached to a barn, which was originally used to drive threshing machinery. Beyond this, the channel is culverted for a short distance, then continues as an open leat. It turns south, then - on reaching the drive, it crossed the river by an aqueduct, which until recently remained intact. The channel followed the northern side of the second main surviving area of water meadows - Area 2 - and, at the north-western corner of the field, joined Leat 1. See report for full details.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.