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Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s as narrow earthwork ditches on the east-facing slopes east of Bickham Farm, Kenn.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1823, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RP 3019-3020 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354994.

Ditches are visible as curvilinear earthworks.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2082, RAF/CPE/UK/2082 RP 4316-4317 19-MAY-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV358687.

Ditches are visible as curvilinear earthworks.

Next Perspectives, 2015-2017, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX9184 19-JUL-2016 (Aerial Photograph). SDV361515.

The ditches are not visible as eathworks.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2018-2019, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 1, Haldon Ridge to Dart Valley (AI&M) (Interpretation). SDV361305.

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of 1946 to 1947 as narrow curvilinear earthwork ditches roughly following the contours of the east-facing slopes east of Bickham Farm, Kenn.
Many 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 and often continued in use into the twentieth century. 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. The gutter 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 of pasture in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock, particularly important during the hungry gap of the March and April.
In this instance the catch meadow probably was probably supplied by a spring that rises in the garden to the east of Bickham Farm. The gutters were not visible on images derived from aerial photographs of 2016 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 3019-3020 04-NOV-1946.
SDV358687	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/2082. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2082 RP 4316-4317 19-MAY-1947. [Mapped feature: #112535 ]
SDV361305	Interpretation: Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R.. 2018-2019. The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 1, Haldon Ridge to Dart Valley (AI&M). Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV361515	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2015-2017. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX9184 19-JUL-2016.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7515 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey (Ref: ACD1748)

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