Monument record MDO45333 - Post Medieval water meadow system, Tarrant Launceston

A Post Medieval water meadow system is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs situated to the west of and within a curve of the river Tarrant. The system is orientated north to south and flows southwards into the river. The water meadows consist of linear drainage ditches in a feather pattern. The water meadows may have been constructed in the 17th or 18th century and were probably used into the early 20th century.

A post-medieval water meadow system is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs, some of which may have been filled in. The water meadows are centred at ST 9409 0969 and extend over an area that measures 260m long by a maximum of 145m wide and is orientated north / south. They comprise a number of linear drainage ditches which make a feather pattern.

The meadows are situated within a curve of the river Tarrant and to its west and flow into a drain recorded as part of the water meadows located to the south. The water meadows may have been constructed in the 17th or 18th Century and were probably used into the early 20th Century. They would have played a vital role in the local agricultural regime, allowing more sheep to be kept and therefore increasing the flock available to maintain the fertility of the relatively infertile chalk soils. <1>

<1> Bishop, Sharon, 2009, Tarrant Launceston 15 & Environs. Aerial Photograph Survey & Analysis (Unpublished document). SDO12459.

<1.1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 5151-5152 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19262.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1481173 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 16 2023 3:11PM