Axminster Turnpike Road
Formed from the First
District of the Penn Hill to Honiton Turnpike Trust (created in 1765), which
was itself formed as part of the Askerswell Hill Act
(Bridport, Dorset to
J House of Commons - Reports
Askerswell Hill (
A petition from several gentlemen and
others living in, near and usually travelling the road from a certain Lanchett or intrenchment on Askerswell Hill, opposite to Chilcombe
Farm thru Bridport to
And Charmouth Bridge thru Axminster and
thru Parish of Kilmington and Shute (
Roads are in a very ruinous condition and in several places very narrow and incommodious and in the Winter season many parts thereof are so bad that carriages cannot pass without danger
Part of road from
rep 26 Nov;
to prove the allegation – Robert Willis and William Drake said that the road from Askerswell Hill to Wilmington Water is 23 miles and from Bridport to Beaminster is 5 miles and the roads are common highways and in so ruinous condition that they are dangerous to wheeled carriages and in many places too narrow; that road to top of Charmouth hill which leads from Bridport to Charmouth Bridge is very inconvenient and dangerous and needs to turn the road to the NW, to make more commodious, which may be done without difficulty
Petition from Honiton for repair of road from thence to Wilmington Water; 17 Dec;
Inhabitants of Honiton and several parishes
of Widworthy and Offwell (
That if the bill passes it will be of great detriment to the petitioners and that provision be made to include in the bill repairing of road from Wilmington Water to the back part of the Workhouse in Honiton.
From Bridport against the bill 17 Dec
Petition of Bailiffs, Burgesses and inhabitants of Bridport and inhabitants of many of the villages and places adjacent, they will be prejudicial
Rep of Honiton petition and proceed accord 18 Dec
To prove allegation Mr Amos Callard said that road as ruinous condition
Added that if turnpikes should be erected at Wilmington Water and the road thence to Honiton should not be repaired it would be a great hardship to the inhabitants of Honiton as it will subject both them and the persons trading to the said town to the payment of a toll, without receiving the benefit equal to the same- order to include Honiton road.
Lyme Regis – Petition from thence to Askerswell Hill Road Bill Dec 7
Petition of gentlemen, clergy, freeholders and principal inhabitants residing in Lyme Regis and Parish of Charmouth, Uplyme, Axmouth, Coombepine, Wootten , Fitzpaine, White Church, Canonicourum and Stanton St Gabriel
That the road from the Almshouse at Charmouth to and thru Lyme Regis and to and thru Uplyme and over Uplyme Hill to the direction stone on the road to Axminster is not intended to be repaired by tolls arising although said road is the ancient post road and is now and for many years has been the post road from Salisbury to Axminster and when repaired will be very commodious to travellers. As the petitioners will be largely contributing to the turnpike Petitioners pray that said road be repaired being about 3.5 miles for that the said roads are uneven, very bad and founderous almost at all seasons of the year
Royal Assent 5th March.
List of
Acts
|
Askerswell Hill to Honiton |
|
27 Geo2 c32 |
1754 |
|
|
Penn Inn to
Honiton Workhouse |
Separated
from the Bridport roads |
5 Geo3 c75 |
1765 |
|
|
Penn Inn to |
A
District; – adds road from Musbury to
Whitford |
32 Geo3 c144 |
1792 |
|
|
Axminster - |
|
3 Geo4 c105 |
1822 |
|
|
Devon and |
Expired |
39&40 Vic c39 |
1876 |
Nov 1876 |
Axminster 1822
An Act for repairing, widening, and maintaining
several Roads in the Counties of Dorset and Devon leading to and through the
Town of
A Trust
set up under previous Act from Penn Inn Dorset to Shipley Lane, Honiton, and from
Penn Inn to the Workhouse at the East End of Honiton to Cullompton and another
Act for the road from Lyme Regis to Straightway Head Whimple,
contains Two Districts of Roads, described as the First District and the Second
District,
Roads comprized in the said First District, shall be and the same are hereby repealed, -the Road leading from a House called Penn Inn in the Parish of Whitechurch Canonicorum, in the County of Dorset, through the Town and Parish of Axminster, and the Parishes of Kilmington, Shute, Dalwood, Widworthy, and Offwell, and Part of the Parish of Honiton, in the several Counties of Devon and Dorset, to the Distance of One hundred Yards East of the Entrance into Shipley Lane in the said Parish of Honiton ; and also the Road leading from the East End of the Town of Axminster through Sectar Lane, and over Hawkchurch Down, to or near the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road (earlier road from Sectar Lane End at the east end of Axminster as far as Quandoes Gate at the end of Hawkchurch Down and also the road leading from Quandoes Gate over Hawkchurch Down towards the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road ), in the Parishes of Hawkchurch and Whitechurch Canonicorum aforesaid ; and also the Road leading from a House called the Old Inn, in the Parish of Kilmington, in the County of Devon, through the Parish of Shute, to the Town of Colyton, over Colyton Hill and Stoford Common, home to the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road, at or near Bovey Gate, within the Parish of Colyton, in the said County of Devon; and also the Road leading from a House formerly called the White Hart Inn, in the Town of Axminster aforesaid, through the several Parishes of Axminster, Musbury, and Axmouth, in the said County of Devon, home to the Lyme Regis Turnpike Road, at or near Boswell Hill Turnpike Gate; and also a Line of Communication with the said Axmouth Road, in the said Parish of Musbury, leading from Long Mead Lane to a Place called Louds Corner, in the said Parish of Shute, consisting of not more than Five Furlongs, being the First District of the Roads directed or intended by the said recited Act
Select Committee on State of Roads 1840
Charles Bond of Axminster (clerk to the trust) reported
There are 22 miles 2 furl 16pl of road thru 11 parishes – all repaired by
the trustees
6 toll gates and 3 side bars
The roads are stated to be in repair – no part under indictment for want
of repair.
List of Roads
Honiton Road; The A35 from the Penn Inn – (Penn is at the Devon/Dorset County
Boundary on the hill west of Charmouth), through Axminster (now the B3261 after
town by passed), through Wilmington to Shipley Lane on the hill in the eastern
approach to Honiton, (Shipley Road is just east of the railway bridge on King
Road). (about 14 miles)
Hawkchurch Road;
Now and UC road eastwards from Axminster through Sector towards the Dorset
County Boundary to join the Crewkerne Branch of the Lyme Regis Trust at
Blackpool Corner (about 2.5 miles).
Colyton Road;
The UC road from A35 junction in Kilmington, down Whitford Road, through Colyton,
and out along UC Old Sidmouth Road over Colyton Hill
to join A3052 at Stafford Cross (Stofford Common). (about 6 miles)
The roads north from Axminster were
administered by the Chard Turnpike Trust.
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