Monument record MDO45576 - Post Medieval water meadow system, Tarrant Launceston

A Post Medieval water meadow system is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs, some of which may have been filled in. The water meadows extend east / west over an area that measures 242m long by a maximum of 53m wide. They comprise a number of straight parallel drainage ditches which form a fork pattern, with the handle extending for 85m to the east to join a formal arrangement of water meadows flanking the river Tarrant. 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.

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 9368 1003 and extend east / west an area that measures 242m long by a maximum of 53m wide. They comprise a number of straight parallel drainage ditches which form a fork pattern, with the handle extending for 85m to the east to join a formal arrangement of water meadows flanking the river Tarrant (see ST 91 SW 126 / UID: 1481243). 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>

Record last edited

Feb 16 2023 3:05PM