MMO1732 - Post-medieval water meadow northwest of Higher Cowley Farm (Monument)

A post medieval water meadow system is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks. This system appears to be connected to the farmyard at Higher Cowley, suggesting that this was an integrated system.

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks to the northwest of Higher Cowley Farm. Centred at SS 6361 4526, at least four ditches are visible stretching across a single steep northeast facing field. They range in length from approximately between 120 to 200 metres. Immediately to the north of this system is a wooded area marked "Cowley Meadow Wood" on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition, which suggests that this field was in use as a water meadow prior to the publication of the map. The roughly parallel gutters were used to distribute flowing water over the surface of the meadow in order to encourage early growth in spring and prevent freezing in winter. This system appears to be connected to the farmyard at Higher Cowley, suggesting that this was an integrated system, which also distributed liquid manure across the fields as fertiliser. The gutters were probably fed by a spring to the north east of Higher Cowley at SS 6373 4522, and drained into Dean Water to the west. [1-4] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [5]