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Summary

A possible catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as two earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 and 1967 at Backs Wood.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to Modern - 1540 AD to 2013 AD (Between))

Full description

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

One of the probable catch meadow gutters is depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of between the 1880’s-90’s.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FP 1051-52 13-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354842.

The possible catch meadow is visible as two earthwork ditches.

Ordnance Survey, 1967, OS/67039 V, OS/67039 V 064-65 18-APR-1967 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356901.

A single earthwork ditch of the possible catch meadow is visible.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

A possible catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as two earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1947 and 1967 at Backs Wood. Most catch meadow systems are believed to date to the post medieval period, although it is likely that they were first developed in the medieval period. Catch meadows provided a simple, inexpensive and effective form of irrigation. When irrigation was required water was diverted from a source such as a pond, river, spring or spring-fed stream and passed along the meadow slopes via one or more of the gutters, which was then caused to overflow. The lower, roughly parallel gutters then ‘caught’ and redistributed water passing it 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, particularly important during the hungry gap of March and April. The catch meadow covers an area of approximately 0.08 hectares of northwest facing slope. The system comprises two gutters, one of which is clearly depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of between the 1880's-90's, which measure less than 2m in width and appear to tap a spring-fed stream that rises further to the east. It is unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farm this water meadow system might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The catch meadow remains partly visible as a single earthwork ditch on aerial photographs up until 1967, although its survival after this date is uncertain.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV354842	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1995. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1995 FP 1051-52 13-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #66968 ]
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV356901	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1967. OS/67039 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/67039 V 064-65 18-APR-1967.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

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