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TIDWORTH NORTH EAST QUADRANT

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DESCRIPTION

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A Water meadow complex, probably from the 17th to 19th centuries with evidence of sluices and culverts. The boundaries of the water meadow may possibly indicate the continuation of earlier prehistoric boundaries. At time of recording in 2011, the land is owned by the Ministry of Defence and is understood to be under consideration for disposal.

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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

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History and description of the site:
This site is on the north-eastern edge of Tidworth, and comprises open ground with no built development. It has been farm and meadow land since the prehistoric period, firstly in relationship to scattered Romano-British and earlier settlement and then the establishment of the valley-bottom village of Tidworth in the 8th-10th centuries.
There is visible evidence for sluices and culverts associated with the use of this land as water meadows, probably from the 17th century. The boundary to the meadow has a curved outline and situation that is indicative of a 17th century or earlier boundary, but there is clear evidence in this area for the continuation of early boundaries into the prehistoric period. A water meadow was a valley-floor meadow that was subject to controlled flooding using a system of drains and sluices to encourage early grass growth, providing spring food for sheep which were then folded onto the higher cornland. The flooding brought nutrients onto the land, improving hay crops.
Assessment of significance:
The significance of this site lies in:

1 The extent of 17th-19th century water meadow complex. The southern English downlands retain the earliest evidence in England (with the Golden Valley in Herefordshire) for the development of water meadows, from the 16th century.
2 The form of the boundaries and nearby recorded prehistoric sites which are indicative of prehistoric land boundary and management features. This is highly significant in the context of Salisbury Plain, which has retained the best-preserved evidence for prehistoric land use, settlement and ritual in any of England's chalk and limestone plateaux and which also occupied a prominent role in the development of Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures in northern Europe. (1)

Additional sources comprising Ordnance Survey Historic mapping for the area from 1888-1939 (2-7)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) Field Investigators Comments

Jeremy Lake 31-MAR-2011, Ministry of Defence Site Disposals in Wiltshire Pilot Project

(2) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:10000, 1888

(3) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:10000, 1901

(4) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:10000, 1911

(5) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:10000, 1926

(6) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:2500, 1924

(7) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:12500, 1939

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