MMO1953 - Post-medieval water meadow south of New Mill Farm (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow of a type known locally as a catchwork or field-gutter system was constructed on a west facing slope above the Barbrook at circa SS 7000 4717, to the south of New Mill Farm with which it is probably associated. Catchwork systems are usually found on steep combe sides and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the valley sides via a series of channels or gutters. When irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow, thereby irrigating the slopes. This film of water prevented the ground freezing during the winter and raised the temperature of the grass in the spring, thereby encouraging early growth, particularly important during the hungry gap of the March and April. Any excess water then returned to the feeder stream at the valley bottom or was removed by a tail drain. This appears to be a relatively simple system of one main gutter or head main, but multiple parallel gutters, to improve the water coverage, is a common feature of Exmoor water meadows. This system does not appear to be physically connected to the farmstead and may therefore be an example of a `detached system', where the water meadow distributes only what fertaliser is transported to it. [1,2] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [3]