Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individualacts of Parliament, with powers to collect roadtolls for maintaining the principal roads inBritain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak, in the 1830s, over 1,000 trusts[1] administered around 30,000 miles (48,000 km) ofturnpike road in England and Wales, taking tolls at almost 8,000 toll-gates and side-bars.[2]
During the early 19th century the concept of the turnpike trust was adopted and adapted to manage roads within theBritish Empire (Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa) and in the United States.[2]
Turnpikes declined with thecoming of the railways and then theLocal Government Act 1888 gave responsibility for maintaining main roads tocounty councils andcounty borough councils.
The term "turnpike" originates from the similarity of the gate used to control access to the road, to the barriers once used to defend against attack bycavalry (seecheval de frise). The turnpike consisted of a row ofpikes or bars, each sharpened at one end, and attached to horizontal members which were secured at one end to an upright pole or axle, which could be rotated to open or close the gate.[3]
Pavage grants, originally made for paving the marketplace or streets of towns, began also to be used for maintaining some roads between towns in the 14th century. These grants were made byletters patent, almost invariably for a limited term, presumably the time likely to be required to pay for the required works.[4]
Tudor statutes had placed responsibility on eachparishvestry to maintain all its roads. This arrangement was adequate for roads that the parishioners used themselves but proved unsatisfactory for the principal highways that were used by long-distance travellers and waggoners.[5] During the 17th century, the piecemeal approach to road maintenance caused acute problems on the main routes into London. As trade increased, the growing numbers of heavy carts and carriages led to serious deterioration in the state of these roads and this could not be remedied by the use of parish statute labour. A parliamentary bill was tabled in 1621/22 to relieve the parishes responsible for part of the Great North Road by imposing a scale of tolls on various sorts of traffic. The toll revenue was to be used in repairing the road, however, the bill was defeated. During the following forty years, the idea of making travellers contribute to the repair of roads was raised on several occasions.[6]
| Road Repair (Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire) Act 1663 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act for repairing the Highwayes within the Countyes of Hertford Cambridge and Huntington. |
| Citation |
|
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 3 June 1663 |
| Commencement | 18 February 1663[a] |
| Expired | 17 February 1674 |
| Repealed | 30 July 1948 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1948 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Surrey and Sussex Highways Act 1696 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act for repairing the High-way betweene Ryegate in the County of Surrey & Crawley in the County of Sussex. |
| Citation | 8 & 9 Will. 3. c. 15 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 1 April 1697 |
| Commencement | 20 October 1696[a] |
| Repealed | 31 January 2013 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013 |
| Relates to | Highways, etc. Act 1691 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Many parishes continued to struggle to find funds to repair major roads and inHertfordshire,way wardens on behalf of the vestries stood frequent trial atquarter sessions for their failure to keep the Old North Road in a good state of repair. In 1656 the parish ofRadwell, Hertfordshire petitioned their local sessions for help to maintain their section of the Great North Road. Probably as a result judges on the Hertfordshire,Cambridgeshire andHuntingdonshire circuit represented the matter to Parliament,[7] it then passed anact of Parliament, theRoad Repair (Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire) Act 1663 (15 Cha. 2. c. 1), that gave the localjustices of the peace powers to erect toll-gates on a section of the road, betweenWadesmill, Hertfordshire;Caxton,Cambridgeshire; andStilton,Huntingdonshire for 11 years, the revenues so raised to be used for the maintenance of the road in their jurisdictions.[7][6] The toll-gate erected at Wadesmill was the prototype in England. Parliament then gave similar powers to the justices in other counties in England and Wales.[7] An example is the first turnpike act for Surrey, theSurrey and Sussex Highways Act 1696 (8 & 9 Will. 3. c. 15), during the reign ofWilliam III for enhanced repairs betweenReigate in Surrey andCrawley in Sussex.[8] The act made provision to erectturnpikes, and appoint toll collectors; also to appoint surveyors, who were authorized by order of the justices to borrow money at five per cent interest, on security of the tolls.[8]
The first scheme that had trustees who were not justices was established through theBedfordshire and Buckinghamshire Roads Act 1706 (6 Ann. c. 4) for a section of the London-Chester road between Fornhill (nearHockliffe) andStony Stratford.[9] The basic principle was that the trustees would manage resources from the several parishes through which the highway passed, augment this with tolls from users from outside the parishes and apply the whole to the maintenance of the main highway. This became the pattern for the turnpiking of a growing number of highways, sought by those who wished to improve flow of commerce through their part of a county.[7]
The proposal to turnpike a particular section of road was normally a local initiative and a separate act of Parliament was required to create each trust. Each act gave a set of trustees responsibility for maintaining a specified part of the existing highway. It provided them with powers to achieve this; the right to collect tolls from those using the road was particularly important. Local gentlemen, clergy and merchants were nominated as trustees and they appointed a clerk, a treasurer and a surveyor to actually administer and maintain the highway. These officers were paid by the trust. Trustees were not paid, though they derived indirect benefits from the better transport, which improved access to markets and led to increases in rental income and trade.[10]
The first action of a new trust was to erect turnpike gates at which a fixed toll was charged. The act gave a maximum toll allowable for each class of vehicle or animal – for instance one shilling and six pence for a coach pulled by four horses, a penny for an unladen horse and ten pence for a drove of 20 cows. The trustees could call on a portion of the statute duty from the parishes, either as labour or by a cash payment. The trust applied the income to pay for labour and materials to maintain the road. They were also able to mortgage future tolls to raise loans for new structures and for more substantial improvements to the existing highway.[10]
The trusts applied some funds to erectingtollhouses that accommodated the pikeman or toll-collector beside the turnpike gate. Although trusts initially organised the collection of tolls directly, it became common for them to auction a lease to collect tolls. Specialist toll-farmers would make a fixed payment to the trust for the lease and then organise the day-to-day collection of the money, leaving themselves with a profit on their operations over a year.[10]
The powers of a trust were limited, normally to 21 years, after which it was assumed that the responsibility for the now-improved road would be handed back to the parishes. However, trusts routinely sought new powers before this time limit, usually citing the need to pay off the debts incurred in repairing damage caused by a rising volume of traffic, or in building new sections of road.[10]
During the first three decades of the 18th century, sections of the main radial roads into London were put under the control of individual turnpike trusts. The pace at which new turnpikes were created picked up in the 1750s as trusts were formed to maintain the cross-routes between the Great Roads radiating from London. Roads leading into some provincial towns, particularly in Western England, were put under single trusts and key roads inWales were turnpiked. In South Wales, the roads of complete counties were put under single turnpike trusts in the 1760s. A further surge of trust formation occurred in the 1770s, with the turnpiking of subsidiary connecting roads, routes over new bridges, new routes in the growing industrial areas and roads inScotland. About 150 trusts were established by 1750; by 1772 a further 400 were established and, in 1800, there were over 700 trusts.[11] In 1825 about 1,000 trusts controlled 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of road in England and Wales.[12]
The acts of Parliament for these new trusts and the renewal acts for the earlier trusts incorporated a growing list of powers and responsibilities. TheKent Roads Act 1743 (17 Geo. 2. c. 4), theTurnpike Roads Act 1766 (7 Geo. 3. c. 40) and theTurnpike Roads Act 1773 (13 Geo. 3. c. 84) made statutory provision for the erection ofmilestones along the turnpike roads indicating the distance between the main towns on the road. Users of the road were obliged to follow what were to become rules of the road, such as driving on the left and not damaging the road surface. Trusts could take additional tolls during the summer to pay for watering the road in order to lay the dust thrown up by fast-moving vehicles. Parliament also passed a few general turnpike acts dealing with the administration of the trusts and restrictions on the width of wheels – narrow wheels were said to cause a disproportionate amount of damage to the road.[13][14]
The rate at which new trusts were created slowed in the early 19th century but the existing trusts were making major investments in highway improvement. The government had been directly involved in the building of military roads in Scotland following arebellion in 1745, but the first national initiative was a scheme to aid communications withIreland. Between 1815 and 1826Thomas Telford undertook a major reorganization of the existing trusts along the London toHolyhead Road, and the construction of large sections of new road to avoid hindrances, particularly in North Wales.[15]
By 1838 the turnpike trusts in England were collecting £1.5 million per year from leasing the collection of tolls but had a cumulative debt of £7 million, mainly as mortgages.[16] Even at its greatest extent, the turnpike system only administered a fifth of the roads in Britain; the majority being maintained by the parishes. A trust would typically be responsible for about 20 miles (32 km) of highway, although exceptions such as theExeter Turnpike Trust controlled 147 miles (237 km) of roads radiating from the city. On theBath Road for instance, a traveller from London to the head of theThames Valley in Wiltshire would pass through the jurisdiction of seven trusts, paying a toll at the gates of each. Although a few trusts built new bridges (e.g. atShillingford over the Thames), most bridges remained a county responsibility. A few bridges were built with private funds and tolls taken at these (e.g., the presentSwinford Toll Bridge over the Thames).
The quality of early turnpike roads was varied.[17] Although turnpiking did result in some improvement to each highway, the technologies used to deal with geological features, drainage, and the effects of weather, were all in their infancy. Road construction improved slowly, initially through the efforts of individual surveyors such asJohn Metcalf inYorkshire in the 1760s. 19th-century engineers made great advances, notablyThomas Telford andJohn Loudon McAdam.[18]
The engineering work of Telford on theHolyhead Road (now the A5) in the 1820s reduced the journey time of the Londonmail coach from 45 hours to just 27 hours, and the best mail coach speeds rose from 5-6 mph (8–10 km/h) to 9-10 mph (14–16 km/h). McAdam and his sons were employed as general surveyors (consultant engineers) to many of the main turnpike trusts in southern England. They recommended the building of new sections of road to avoid obstructions, eased steep slopes and directed the relaying of existing road-beds with carefully graded stones to create a dry, fast-running surface (known asMacadamising). Coach design improved to take advantage of these better roads and in 1843 the London-to-Exeter mail coach could complete the 170-mile (270-km) journey in 17 hours.
The introduction of toll gates had been resented by local communities which had freely used the routes for centuries. Early Acts had given magistrates powers to punish anyone damaging turnpike property, such as defacing milestones, breaking turnpike gates or avoiding tolls. Opposition was particularly intense in mountainous regions where good routes were scarce. InMid Wales in 1839, new tolls on old roads sparked protests known as theRebecca Riots. There were sporadic outbursts of vandalism and violent confrontation by gangs of 50 to 100 or more local men, and gatekeepers were told that if they resisted they would be killed. In 1844, the ringleaders were caught andtransported to Australia as convicts.[19] However, the result was that toll gates were dismantled and the trusts abolished in the six counties ofSouth Wales, their powers being transferred to a roads board for each county.[20]
 |
These are incomplete lists of trusts by county.
| Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1840 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to continue for One Year from the passing of this Act, and thenceforth until the End of the then next Session of Parliament, the several Acts for regulating the Turnpike Roads in Ireland. |
| Citation | 3 & 4 Vict. c. 45 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 4 August 1840 |
| Commencement | 4 August 1840 |
| Repealed | 7 August 1874 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1874 (No. 2) |
Status: Repealed | |
| Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1845 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue to the First Day of October One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, and to the End of the then next Session of Parliament, certain Turnpike Acts. |
| Citation | 8 & 9 Vict. c. 53 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 31 July 1845 |
| Repealed | 11 August 1875 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1875 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1851 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain. |
| Citation | 14 & 15 Vict. c. 37 |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain[b] |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 24 July 1851 |
| Repealed | 11 August 1875 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1875 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1870 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts, and to make further Provisions concerning Turnpike Roads. |
| Citation | 33 & 34 Vict. c. 73 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 9 August 1870 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Statute Law Revision Act 1883 |
| Repealed by | Highways Act 1959 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1871 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts, and to make further provisions concerning Turnpike Roads. |
| Citation | 34 & 35 Vict. c. 115 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 21 August 1871 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | Wilts Highways Act 1707 |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1872 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts, and to make further provisions concerning Turnpike Roads. |
| Citation | 35 & 36 Vict. c. 85 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 10 August 1872 |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1873 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts, and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 36 & 37 Vict. c. 90 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 5 August 1873 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1874 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 37 & 38 Vict. c. 95 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1875 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 38 & 39 Vict. c. cxciv |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 August 1875 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1981 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1876 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 39 & 40 Vict. c. 39 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 August 1876 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1877 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts in Great Britain, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 40 & 41 Vict. c. 64 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 August 1877 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1878 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 41 & 42 Vict. c. 62 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 16 August 1878 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1879 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 42 & 43 Vict. c. 46 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 August 1879 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1894 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1880 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 43 & 44 Vict. c. 12 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 August 1880 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1894 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1881 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 44 & 45 Vict. c. 31 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 August 1881 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1894 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1882 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 45 & 46 Vict. c. 52 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 18 August 1882 |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1883 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 46 & 47 Vict. c. 21 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 August 1883 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1884 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 47 & 48 Vict. c. 52 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 7 August 1884 |
| Annual Turnpike Acts Continuance Act 1885 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to continue certain Turnpike Acts, and to repeal certain other Turnpike Acts; and for other purposes connected therewith. |
| Citation | 48 & 49 Vict. c. 37 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 31 July 1885 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1898 |
Status: Repealed | |
By the early Victorian period toll gates were perceived as an impediment to free trade. The multitude of small trusts were frequently charged with being inefficient in use of resources and potentially suffered from petty corruption.
Therailway era spelt disaster for most turnpike trusts. Although some trusts in districts not served by railways managed to increase revenue, most did not. In 1829, the year before theLiverpool and Manchester Railway opened, the Warrington and Lower Irlam Trust had receipts of £1,680 but, by 1834, this had fallen to £332. The Bolton and Blackburn Trust had an income of £3,998 in 1846, but in 1847 following the completion of arailway between the two towns, this had fallen to £3,077 and, in 1849, £1,185.[25]
The debts of many trusts became significant; forced mergers of solvent and debt-laden trusts became frequent, and by the 1870s it was feasible for Parliament to close the trusts progressively without leaving an unacceptable financial burden on local communities. From 1871, all applications for renewal were sent to the Turnpike Trust Commission. This arranged for existing acts to continue, but with the objective of discharging the debt, and returning the roads to local administration, which was by then byhighway boards. TheLocal Government Act 1888 gave responsibility for maintaining main roads tocounty councils andcounty borough councils. When a trust was ended, there were often great celebrations as the gates were thrown open. The assets of the trust, such as tollhouses, gates and sections of surplus land beside the road were auctioned off to reduce the debt, and mortgagees were paid at whatever rate in the pound the funds would allow.
The legacy of the turnpike trust is the network of roads that still form the framework of the main road system in Britain. In addition, many roadside features such as milestones and tollhouses have survived,[26] despite no longer having any function in the modern road management system.
