MDE11685 - Post-medieval water meadow or leat on Cheriton Ridge (Monument)

Summary

A post-medieval watercourse is shown on historic mapping and aerial photographs. It may have function as a catchwork system or as a water supply for farm machinery, or perhaps both.

Please read the Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record .

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

  • None recorded

Full Description

SS 739 455. A contour-following leat noted by McDonnell [1] on aerial photographs [2] on the west side of Cheriton Ridge. [1,2] SS 7480 4301 to SS 7412 4500; SS 7417 4500 to SS 7376 4634. A catchwater leat used to irrigate spring grass on a west facing slope. It is some 3.5 km long, probably for early watering of fields (see MDE12856 and MMO350) and use at Cheriton Farm. The leat is shown on the Ordnance Survey maps dated 1888 [3] and 1904 [4]. No survey action was carried out. [6] The does not appear to continue as far north as Cheriton and therefore may not have been associated with watering here. Its precise function remains uncertain. [7-8] The leat runs from just north of the Forest boundary, where the remains of a collapsed stone bridge or sluice at the take off point can be seen at SS 74830. The northern end of the leat, where it leaves the common, has not been established, but the channel is substantial and takes water from several streams which flow into Hoaroak Water, suggesting it may have been built in the late 19th Century to power farm machinery at farms in Cheriton. [9] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [10,11]

Sources/Archives (11)

  • <1> Unpublished document: McDonnell, R.. 1980. Gazetteer of Sites in the Exmoor National Park Identified through Aerial Photography.
  • <2> Aerial photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946 -1948. Vertical Aerial Photography. RAF/CPE/UK/1980, 4078 (April 1947).
  • <3> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1868-1901. County Series; 1st Edition 25 Inch Map. 1:2500. 1888, Devon Sheet 7(6).
  • <4> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1902-1907. County Series, 2nd Edition 25 Inch Map. 1:2500. 1904, Devon Sheet 7(6).
  • <5> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1976. 1:2500. 1:25,000. Sheet SS 7443 and SS 7444.
  • <6> Unpublished document: Sainsbury, I.S.S. Field Investigators Comments. RCHME Field Investigation, 3 May 1995.
  • <7> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR OS/72314 279-80 (16 August 1972).
  • <8>XY Archive: 2007-2009. Exmoor National Park NMP: SS 74 SW. MD002182. [Mapped feature: #38814 ]
  • <9> Report: Riley, H.. 2013. Hoaroak Valley: Historic landscape survey and analysis. 36.
  • <10> Digital archive: Historic England. Various. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry. 926073, Extant 14 December 2021.
  • <11> Digital archive: Historic England. Various. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry. 1044524, Extant 14 December 2021.

External Links (2)

Other Statuses/References

  • Devon SMR (Devonshire): SS74NW/66
  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MDE12878
  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MMO338
  • Local List Status (Unassessed)
  • National Monuments Record reference: SS 74 NW35
  • National Monuments Record reference: SS 74 SW160
  • National Park: Exmoor National Park
  • NRHE HOB UID (Pastscape): 1044524
  • NRHE HOB UID (Pastscape): 926073

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred SS 7410 4509 (871m by 2204m)
Map sheet SS74NW
Civil Parish BRENDON, NORTH DEVON, DEVON

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Dec 14 2021 3:38PM

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