MMO2721 - Post-medieval water meadow south of Muxworthy Cottage (Monument)

A post medieval water meadow system is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks in fields. This system does not appear to be connected to any local farmyards, suggesting that this was a detached system.

The remains of a possible post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, are visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks in fields south of Muxworthy Cottage, Brayford. Centred at approximately SS 7102 3749, two parallel gutters are visible, following the contours of a fairly steep south facing slope above Foxhole Combe. The gutters extend across two extant fields, and cover an area of approximately 3 hectares. There is no indication 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 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]