MMO2072 - Possible post-medieval water meadow south of Higher Week Farm (Monument)

A probable post medieval ditch or leat is visible on aerial photographs most likely represents the remains of a catchwater meadow system. This ditch may have formed part of an integrated system with the farmyard at Higher Week.

A probable post-medieval ditch or leat is visible on aerial photographs in a field to the south of Higher Week farm, Kentisbury. Centred at approximately SS 6296 4307 the leat runs northwest to southeast following the contours of a fairly steep southwest facing slope. The gutter measures approximately 95 metres long and up to 1.5 metres wide. It most likely represents the remains of a water meadow, known locally as a catchwater meadow system. 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. This ditch appears to have been connected to the farmyard at Higher Week, suggesting that this was an integrated system, which also distributed liquid manure as fertiliser to the field. Several other ditches in the vicinity may be part of the same system. [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]