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Summary

Narrow curvilinear and roughly parallel ditches were visible on aerial photographs of 1946 on the north-east-facing slopes south of Furze Farm, Payhembury parish. The ditches were possibly the remains of a catch meadow of 19th century date.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1946 AD? (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1823, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RP 3296 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354994.

Curvilinear ditches or gutters were visible as earthworks.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST0802 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

The ditches were largely not visible as earthworks.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

Narrow, shallow and roughly parallel curvilinear ditches were visible on aerial photographs of 1946 as subtle earthworks on the west-facing slopes in Alder Grove, west of Haskins Cross.
The visible earthworks roughly followed the contours of the slope for over 200 metres and were visible over an area of approximately 1 hectare, although their original extent was probably greater.
The ditches are interpreted as the gutters of a small catch meadow irrigation system. Catch meadows were popular in the 19th century but many continued in use into the mid-20th century. The ditches probably post-date field boundary reorganisation of mid-19th date.
No evidence of recent use was visible on the aerial photographs of November 1947 and the system might have been disused by this date, although catch meadows were most typically operated in the spring signs of irrigation would be more likely in March or April. The system was probably supplied with water from a spring-fed stream to the south.
Although some very slight earthworks might survive in situ, the majority of the ditches were not visible as earthworks on digital images derived from lidar data captured from 1998 to 2014 and have probably been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV354994	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1823. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RP 3296 04-NOV-1946. [Mapped feature: #77621 ]
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST0802 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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