MMO1792 - 19th Century water meadow northwest of Dogsworthy Combe (Monument)

A single water channel is visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, indicating that a type of post-medieval water meadow known locally as a catchwork or catch meadow system was constructed on a northwest facing valley slope of Dogsworthy Combe, to the south of Multleburff Hill, centred on circa SS 7768 4952. 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. This water meadow system was fed from a point to the south, up Dogsworthy Combe at circa SS 7764 4948. 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. The use of a series of parallel gutters to improve the coverage is also common feature of Exmoor systems. This system also appears to be an example of a `detached system', where the water meadow is not attached to its farmstead and only distributed what liquid manure was carried to it. [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]