MMO2566 - Post-medieval water meadow south of Huntsham Cott (Monument)

The remains of a post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks in fields south of Huntsham Cott, Wootton Courtenay. Centred at approximately SS 9515 4277 a number of very shallow, possibly ploughed out gutters are visible on a gentle east facing slope, apparently draining into an unnamed tributary of the River Avill. The majority of the gutters follow the contours of the slope, but at the western end of the field two gutters running north to south can be seen. These may have been carriage gutters, supplying water to the system. There is no evidence that this system was 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. Catchwater meadows used a series of approximately parallel gutters were 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. [1-3] 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]