Monument record 4663/2 - Water Meadows at Meadows Farm

A series of regular fields located within an area of late medieval enclosure. The fields are flanked on either side by two water courses which may be leats feeding/draining water into the meadows (see CHER 4663/2) (1).

Aerial photographs dating from the 1970s and 1980s show regular narrow ridge and furrow like features running across the fields between the two channels or drains. It is possible that these features are the 'carriers' associated with a 'flooding downwards' water meadow (2, 3 & 4).

'…'Flooding downwards' involved damming a river and leading the impounded waters away through a canal or 'head main' which had outlets to a network of low ridges or 'carriers' with channels running along their spines. The water would thus circulate from the dam to the head main, along the carrier, across the meadow and back in to the river…' (5).

Alternatively may just be a simple inundation system and the earthworks the product of steam ploughing (4).

The land use on the tithe map for Horton is listed as meadow for many of these fields. Some are still divided into strips suggesting that they have been meadows since the late medieval period (6).

<1> Cheshire Historic Environment Record, Various, Farm Environment Plan Consultation for Higher Level Stewardship, 2663/482/2/CCH1303 (Written Communication). SCH5182.

<2> Huntings Surveys Ltd, 1971-1973, 1971-1973 County Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH4881.

<3> JA Story & Partners, 1985, 1985 Story & Partners Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH2993.

<4> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, R Edwards 6/07/2009 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

<5> Muir, R, 2004, Landscape Encyclopedia, p.282 (Book). SCH5183.

<6> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 208/2 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.