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HER Number:MDV104128
Name:Catchmeadow System South-West of Wonwell Court

Summary

The remains of a water-meadow of probable post-medieval date is visible on aerial photographs between 1945 and 2012 as a series of earthwork ditches, some of which are likely to survive.

Location

Grid Reference:SX 623 473
Map Sheet:SX64NW
Admin AreaDevon
Civil ParishHolbeton
Civil ParishKingston
DistrictSouth Hams
Ecclesiastical ParishHOLBETON
Ecclesiastical ParishKINGSTON

Protected Status

  • SHINE: Traditional Farm Buildings and Catch (water)meadow, at Wonwell Court Farm

Other References/Statuses

  • SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

  • WATER MEADOW (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1945, RAF/106G/UK/967, RAF/106G/UK/967 RS 3151-3152 01-NOV-1945 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351060.

Water meadow gutters are visible as earthwork ditches.

Channel Coast Observatory, 2001-2012, Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography, Channel Coast Observatory SX6247 10-MAY-2012 © CCO (Aerial Photograph). SDV351226.

The gutters of the southern part of this watermeadow system are visible as earthworks.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A post medieval water meadow, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible on aerial photographs between 1945 and 2012 as a series of earthwork ditches to the south of Wonwell Court, with which it was probably associated.
Catch meadows provided a simple, inexpensive but effective form of irrigation, designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters. A larger gutter, often called a headmain, tapped water from a source such as a river, spring or spring-fed stream. When irrigation was required the headmain was dammed, causing water to overflow downslope, where the roughly parallel gutters distributed the flowing water evenly over the surface of a meadow below. The gently flowing water prevented the ground freezing in winter and encouraged early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock. Most catchwater meadow systems are believed to date to the post medieval period, although it is possible that they were first developed in the medieval period.
The Wonwell catch meadow covers a visible area of approximately 9 hectares of north- and south-facing slope below the farmstead. The sources of water seem to be a pond at the farmstead supplemented by the watercourse to the south-west. It is likely that the system partly operated as an ‘integrated’ catch meadow, in which manure from cattle sheds within the farmyard is mixed with the water supply to supply liquid manure to the pasture.
Many of the southernmost gutters remain visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 2012.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV351060Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1945. RAF/106G/UK/967. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/967 RS 3151-3152 01-NOV-1945. [Mapped feature: #63598 ]
SDV351146Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
Linked documents:1
SDV351226Aerial Photograph: Channel Coast Observatory. 2001-2012. Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography. Channel Coast Observatory. Digital. Channel Coast Observatory SX6247 10-MAY-2012 © CCO.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

  • EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)

Date Last Edited:Aug 27 2021 3:26PM