MMO2415 - Possible 19th Century water meadow above Sparkcombe Water (Monument)

A ditch visible on aerial photographs as an earthwork may be the remains of a short length of a leat or gutter. It is possible the leat was spring fed and was used in the 19th Century as a simple water meadow.

A ditch visible on aerial photographs as an earthwork on northwest facing slopes above Sparkcombe Water may be the remains of a short length of water channel of a type known as a leat or gutter. The ditch is almost 100 metres long roughly 2 metres wide, and is shaped like a flattened 'm' in plan, the point of the middle leg centred on circa SS 8205 4085. At this point the vegetation is slightly darker in tone, and may indicate the presence of a water source such as a small spring. It is possible the leat was spring fed and was used in the 19th Century as a simple water meadow. Known as catchwork or field gutter systems, such water meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the slope via a series of roughly parallel 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. They are extremely common on Exmoor and vary greatly in scale and number of gutters. [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]