MMO1872 - Post-medieval water weadow northeast of Hollacombe (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks. The system may or may not have been connected to Hollacombe by a drain or leat shown on historic maps running downslope from the farmyard.

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks to the west of Hollacombe, Kentisbury. Centred at approximately SS 6481 4383, at least eight gutters are visible on a fairly steep north-east facing slope above Rowley Cleave. The gutters vary in length from 39 to 160 metres, and are between 1 and two metres in width. This system does not appear to be connected to the yard at Hollacombe (MEM23118), indicating that this was a detached system which distributed only water, and not liquid manure as fertiliser. However, a drain or leat is depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1:10000 map at SS 6462 4379 running downslope from the farmyard at Hollacombe, and it is possible that this leat was connected to the water meadow system at some point. Catchwater meadow systems used a series of approximately parallel gutters to distribute flowing water evenly over the surface of the meadow in order to prevent freezing in winter and encourage early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock. Most catchwater systems are believed to date to the post-medieval period, although it is possible that they were first developed in the medieval period. [1-4] N.B. The water meadow is to the northeast of Hollacombe and not the west, as stated by [4]. The grid reference cited is correct. [5] The leat or drain mentioned by [4] is also shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map and appeared to follow the same route as that shown on the 2018 MasterMap data. [6,7] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [8]