MMO1891 - 19th Century water meadow northwest of North Furzehill Farm (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow of a type known locally as a catchwork or catch meadow system was constructed on the southwest facing slopes of West Lyn River Combe, to the northwest of North Furzehill Farm. 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. 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, as seen here, is a common feature of Exmoor systems. This system appears to be an example of a 'detached system', where the water meadow is not directly attached to its farmstead and only distributed what liquid manure was carried to it. It is possible that it is part of the same system recorded to the south at North Furzehill Farm. The gutters are still visible in 1995, although they have been damaged by ploughing associated with post-war agricultural improvements. [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]