MMO1984 - 19th Century water meadow system west of West Lyn (Monument)

A water meadow of probable 19th Century date is visible as several sets of parallel ditches or water channels on aerial photographs. This system is unusually extensive and complex, which may indicate coordination by a single landowner.

A survey in 2003 revealed a series of leats or field gutters c.1 metre wide to the west of West Lyn Farm. Stone structures were identified directing the flow of water from the stream to the south. Further leats were identified at SS 7207 4826 and SS 7205 4830. [1] An extensive post-medieval water meadow of a type known locally as a catchwork or field gutter system was constructed circa to the west of West Lyn, Lynton and Lynmouth parish, centred on circa SS 7221 4834. Such catchwork systems became popular in the later 18th and 19th Century and contrary to Berry, elements of this system can be seen on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1889. [1,6] Its post-medieval date is also indicated by the slighting of the underlying strip field earthworks by the catchwork gutters. On Exmoor they 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 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. 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 of the water, as seen here, is a common feature of Exmoor systems. However, this system is unusually extensive and complex and covers slopes with a relatively slight gradient. This may indicate coordination by a single landowner or several phases of construction. Most of the gutters appear to be fed by the stream in the small combe running northwest from immediately to the south of Manor Farm, although the somewhat fragmentary gutters to the north of West Lyn Farm may have had a separate supply. Despite its extensive nature, the dispersed pattern of the gutters may support the interpretation that this water meadow operated as a detached system, where the water did not pass though the farmsteads and subsequently distribute only what fertaliser was carried to it. [1-8] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [9]