MMO2737 - Post-medieval water meadow south of Kinsford Farm (Monument)

A pair of ditches visible as earthworks may be the remains of a post-medieval catchwater meadow. The ditches appear to be connected to the farmyard at Kinsford, suggesting that this was an integrated system.

A pair of ditches visible as earthworks in a field immediately south of Kinsford Farm, Exmoor, may be the remains of a post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow. Centred at approximately SS 7431 3718, the ditches closely follow the contours of the south facing slope above Kinsford water. The ditches appear to be connected to the farmyard at Kinsford, 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 located on a slope 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. Many of the farms within the former Royal Forest have water meadows, most of which are believed to have been constructed or encouraged by Robert Smith, land agent for the Knight family from 1848, who was considered a great expert in water meadows. [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]