MMO3316 - Post-medieval water meadow northwest of Heasley Wood (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks northwest of Heasley Wood, North Molton. Centred at approximately SS 7303 3379, three gutters are visible, running roughly east to west along the contours of the east facing slope. The gutters are apparently fed from a spring visible to the north of the system, and as such does not appear to be connected to any local farmyards, suggesting that this was a detached system which only distributed water to the fields and not liquid manure or other fertilisers. A series of approximately parallel gutters were used 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 meadows are believed to date to the post-medieval period, although it is possible that they were first developed in the medieval period. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]