MMO3270 - Post-medieval water meadow north of Higher Fyldon Farm, overlying medieval strip fields (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks north of Higher Fyldon Farm, North Molton. Centred at approximately SS 7410 3416, the gutters curve northwest to southeast, apparently drawing water from the nearby stream. They cover an area of approximately 2 hectares. . This system does not appear to be connected to the farmyard, 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] The record was reviewed as part of SHINE enhancement in 2026, where LiDAR data was consulted. The northwards extending feature, which crosses the field boundary, visible on the 1946 aerial photograph is not visible on LiDAR or more recent aerial photography, implying strongly that it may have been a path or other modern feature rather than an historic earthwork. The mapping of the water meadow area was adapted as a result. At the same time, it was noticed that a series of three narrow strip fields once underlay the watermeadow, running north to south, clearly cut through by the later catchwork gutters. [5]