MMO3612 - Post-medieval water meadow northwest of Elworthy Farm (Monument)

A post medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks north west of Elworthy Farm, Stogumber. Centred at approximately ST 0814 3538, four gutters are visible following the contours of an east facing slope above a small un-named stream. The gutters appear to have been fed from a spring south of the deserted settlement of Downside Farm (MSO8202), and appear to have been connected to the farmyard here, suggesting that this was an integrated system which also distributed liquid manure as fertiliser to the fields. Catchwater meadows 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 meadows are believed to date to the post-medieval period, although it is possible that they were first developed in the medieval period. [1,2]