MMO2109 - Probable post-medieval water meadow at Holwell Rocks (Monument)

A probable post-medieval water meadow is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks. The system does not appear to be connected to any local farmyards, suggesting that it distributed water to the fields and not liquid manure.

A probable post-medieval water meadow is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks to the north of the area marked Holwell Rocks (Parracombe) on the Ordnance Survey 1:10000 map. Centred at approximately SS 6738 4327 at least five gutters are visible, apparently in a poor state of preservation, located on a very steep east facing slope above an unnamed stream or combe. The gutters vary in length from 60 to 540 metres, and from less than 1 metre to 3 metres in width. In places the gutters cut through field banks (MMO2136), suggesting that the water meadow was constructed after the boundaries passed out of use. This system 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. The area is shown as tree covered on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1889 [2], suggesting that the water meadow was abandoned some considerable time prior to this date. 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. [1-5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]