MSO10026 - Post-medieval water meadow north of Brougham Farm (Monument)

Area of irrigation system in valley to the N presumably belonging to the deserted farm to the south. [1] 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 Timberscombe. Centred at SS 9577 4178, five gutters are visible stretching across a west facing slope above an un-named stream, varying in length from 170 to 250 metres. 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 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. [2,3] 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]