Dew Ponds?

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This is a subject that's recently piqued my interest after I saw a mention of it in passing. Does anyone know if there is some kind of gazeteer of dew ponds? Is there any evidence for them being made prior to the 19th century?

Any pointers appreciated!

Z

There is a whole host of mounds, cairns, passage tombs and things on Tallaght hill to the south west of Dublin

http://www.megalithomania.com/show_site.php?site_id=630

Just 60m from this is a dew pond - almost certainly Bronze Age if not older and part of one mother of a ritual site.

I think myself and Lissy recently discovered one near to this along with a henge:
http://www.megalithomania.com/show_site.php?site_id=469

but I'm waiting for someone to look at them before leaping to any conclusions.

I see them but only have more questions.

If you have a pond which is watering stock, every so often you'll clean the sludge out (and it's a rich fertiliser). The only sure way to 'date' a pond is to look at the layers of deposited gunge - like tree rings - and to count backwards. Siltochronology.

If a pond were lined with stones that would be an excellent protection against those stones being reused elsewhere - in a later wall, for instance. The Stonehenge roundabout has lasted so long and there's no intrinsic reason why a pond shouldn't have lasted that long also. Maps give some small clues - if a pond is between two fields then it is probably older than that field division, for instance. The round shape is also a bit of a giveaway.

A pond at the foot of a sacred hill is probably - - - very old (and I'd better go and photograph it).

david

There's info about dew ponds at this site:

http://dewponds.com

There's only the very beginnings of a gazetteer, though, but the site is very new as yet.

Z Zos

Thank you, all you lovely people! :O)

I really asked because I am interested in the medicinal folklore applications of dew (and variations such as rolling on a young man's grave and taking the spring air) and the name drew my attention.

Although the water in them is mainly rainwater and they're more for agricultural purposes, I can't help wondering if there is any folklore about certain ponds knocking about...

Cheers again for all your help!

Z

Correct me if I'm wrong (I may well be), but I have a vague memory of a couple of dew ponds up on top of Maiden Castle. Anyone know?

Here is some thoughts about dew ponds that I did not see in your list.
1. First bottom is mixture of manure and clay. Once harden will keep water from seeping into the ground.

2. Many Ways to enhance amount of water. One is cob silo of rocks with vents at bottom to allow warm air to dry out rocks. Then downward vents near top that allow cooler nighttime air to flow down and allowing moisture to be absorbed by rocks that during the day were dried out.

[THe last comment is princple of air wells.]

One link is RexResearch.com usa. http://www.rexresearch.com

Yes dewponds is so old that there is no history that goes that far back.
For it is just copy of what nature on it's own does.

South faceing rock cliffs over time created in rock ledges depressions that captured water. Then birds came that left frogs,fish,plants,etc. Beecaue thier stomach does not allways break the protective nature of fish/frog eggs.

In Scotland BBC reported the admission of probelms of free water or energy when they tried to advoid taxes with the wave machine.

In Africa coastal and inland attempts to restore free water and help that was not dependant upon others were also stopped. There must be a truce and allowance that people will be able to see the value of natural means to reclaim and restore the land and keep people alive.

I know first hand those who can be put in a desert and create a city from the earth up without imports. But this is not believed.

In early 1900's goverments found the most imporatant invention of all. A monthly bill that collected taxes. It is also important to know despite evidence of ancient airwells that produced tens of thougsands of gallons of water a day. Create a airwell that could never work to prove that people should not listen to history but by thier water from the goverment.

I sound anti taxes. No Way. I find it strange that I have to see people die due to lack of knowledge. One family had bales of hay in barn but froze to death due to lack of understanding that the hay had a R rateing of 55.