MMO3643 - Post-medieval water meadow south of Treborough Farm (Monument)

A post medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks south of Treborough Farm, Treborough. Centred at approximately ST 0095 3618, at least nine curvilinear gutters are visible following the contours of the south-facing slope. The system covers an area of some 2.8 hectares, and may have been shared with the neighbouring farm, Chapmans. It appears to be connected to the farmyard at Treborough, suggesting that this was an integrated system which also distributed liquid manure as fertiliser to the fields. 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]