MMO3796 - Post-medieval water meadow east of Ley's Lane (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks. The gutters asscoiated with the system extend over an area measuring up to 620 metres by 80 metres. This was likely a detached system.

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs, as earthworks in fields to the east of Ley's Lane, Parracombe. The gutters associated with the system extenmd over an area measuring up to 620 metres north to south and 80 metres east to west. They are centred at SS 6654 4436 and extend between SS 6635 4407 and SS 6665 4460. These approximately parallel gutters were carefully overflowed to distribute flowing water evenly down the slope over the surface of the meadow. This helped to prevent freezing in winter and encouraged early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock. 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. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]