Honiton Turnpike Roads (updated 24th Sept 2013)
Formed in 1765 as a
town-centred trust from the Second District of the Devon and Dorset Turnpike
Trust (Penn Hill to Honiton, Cullompton and Whimple), which was itself formed as
part of the Askerswell Hill Act (Bridport, Dorset to
The administration was
complicated by the relationship with the Commissioners of the Honiton Paving
Act of 1790 who were responsible for the town streets.
J House of Commons - Reports
23rd Feb
1791
Petition of gentleman,
clergy, Freeholders and others, Trustees of the Axminster Turnpike and residing
in Axminster, Thorncombe, Kilmington, Shute, Wickworthy, Offweell and Honiton,
in County of Devon and Hawkchurch, Whitchurch Cannonicorum and Dashwood in the
County of Dorset, setting out that the first Act of 1754 gave powers for
specific roads from Askerswell to Honiton Workhouse. . In 1765 there was an
enlargement from Honiton Workhouse towards Exon as far as the Branch of the
Lyme Regis Turnpike leading from Ottery St Mary to Straitway Head; this was in
a ruinous condition and in many places narrow and incommodious; and that in
consequence of this an additional 5
miles was added; and that £700 should be expended on this with the proviso that
no turnpike be erected between Honiton and Fairmile; and that a Turnpike
erected at Gassman’s Hill should be taken down and no Turnpike erected on the
road from Penn Inn to Honiton Workhouse, except at the East End of Axminster
and at the end of Northcote Lane, west of Axminster, and also a side gate at
Mount Pleasant, which were not to be altered.. In 1790, an Act was passed for
Paving and improving the town of Honiton, by which Act Trustees of the
Axminster Road, without consultation, without Notice and without their
Knowledge, were absolutely discharged from the care and management of and all
powers of management over, certain parts of the road which then became vested
in the Commissioners of Honiton, by
which Act the Axminster trustees were rendered incapable of being elected,
unless resident within 5 miles of Honiton, by which Act, finally, Honiton
became able to appropriate solely to herself all the tolls that can be
collected within the District, in the formation and completion of which,
Axminster since 1765 has expended £1,160 Principal, besides annual interest,
but to that loan, and to the Burthen of the future repairs of the whole
District, Axminster is still left subject. The petitioners foresee eventual
evil, if not ruin to their trust and hardship to the public exposed to two new
turnpikes erected on the Great Western Road in the vicinity of the Tollhouses,
of which the easternmost place is at Northcote Lane, so that the payment of
tolls at 3 different gates may be extracted from the traveller within the space
of 3 miles; and that the petitioners have attempted to negotiate with Honiton
over 6 months to compromise the Subject Matter by amicable negotiation;
Petitioners ask that Axminster powers be terminated for the road between
Honiton Workhouse and Straightway Head, and a portion of the tolls used for
diminution of the debt of Axminster; but this has been frustrated
Petitioners have been
compelled to make application for the road from Quandos Gate over Hawkchurch
Down to raise another £300.
List of
Acts
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Askerswell
Hill, Bridport, Axminster, Honiton |
Extends to
Straitway Head with 2 districts |
5 Geo3 c75 |
1765 |
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Penn Inn to |
Two districts |
32 Geo3 c144 |
1792 |
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Honiton |
Change to
Honiton Turnpike Trust |
3 Geo4 c98 |
1822 |
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Honiton |
Extended by
continuation acts to Nov 1855 |
18&19 Vic c164 |
1855 |
|
|
Honiton |
Expired |
40&41 Vic c64 |
1877 |
Nov 1877 |
Honiton 1822
An Act for making, widening,
repairing and maintaining certain Roads leading to and from the Town of
A Trust
set up under previous Act from Penn Inn Dorset to
which
Second District comprizes the Road leading from Cowley Barn in Honiton
through Awliscombe unto the Town of Cullompton; also the Road
leading out of the Road from Honiton to Exeter, over Trafalgar
Bridge, through the Village of Werringstone
to the said Road near Awliscombe ; also the Road from the Potter's
Kilns Turnpike in Honiton to Cheeseman Ash on Northcote Hill, and
from thence to Cuckowdown on Honiton Hill; also the Road from Honiton Church by the Marle
Pitts Turnpike, over Farway Hill, to the Lyme Turnpike Road
near Roncombe Gurt ; also
the Road
from Star Cross Lane in Honiton, over Gittisham Hill,
to the said Lyme Turnpike Road; also the Road from the said Potter’s
Kilns Turnpike, by Langford Bridge, towards Taunton, to join the Monckton and Upottery Road near Churchstanton
, also the Road from Stoney Bridge in Honiton, by Tracey to Saint Cyres
Hill; also the Road leading towards Taunton, out of the said Cheeseway Ash
Road, through Monckton and Upottery to Whitewall Corner; also the Road from the present Buildings in
Clapper Lane in Honiton, through
Combrawleigh, to join the first mentioned Road towards Taunton; also the Road from Star Cross Lane aforesaid, to Straightway Head, and from thence to meet the Exeter Turnpike Road near thereto ; which
said Roads pass from, through, or into the several Parishes of Honiton, Gittisham, Awliscoin/m, Buckerell,
Feniton, Ottery Saint Mary,
Tallaton, Whimple, Peahembury, Broadhembury, Kentisbear, Cullompton, Farway, Combrawleigh, Dunkerswell,
Luppit, Monckton, Upottery,
Clayhidon, and Churchstanton, in
the said County of Devon .
Provision should be made for more effectually
amending, widening, and maintaining the Road leading from Brook Hill in
the Town of Honiton aforesaid, through Love Lane and the South
Vale of Honiton, to Higher
Blannicombe Farm, and that the same should be continued through Blannicombe
Farm to Ring-in -the -Mire upon Farway Hill, and from thence
in Two Branches, the One to join the said Road from Honiton Church, towards Roncombe Gurt, and the
other to join the Lyme Turnpike Road,
and that the last-mentioned Branch should be further extended from the said Lyme
Turnpike Road, unto and over an Inclosure called 'The Gore, to
the Sidmouthi Turnpike Road, at Great Gore Gate, in the Parish of Sidbury ; and also the Road
leading from the said Village of Werringstone to Chubb's
Cottage ; and also the Road called Church
Lane, leading from Churchenford
Street, in the Parish of Church-stanton aforesaid, to the Smeath
Harp Turnpike Road, Part of the
said Second District ; and also the Road called Red Lane, leading
from Churchenford Street aforesaid into the said Smeath Harp Turnpike
Road ; and also the Road called Dowell's
Lane, leading from the Town of
Honiton, to join the
Awliscombe Branch of the said Roads ; and also if
another Road were made from near Marle Pits Turnpike Gate, in Honiton
aforesaid, through inclosed Lands, into a Highway called Little Common Lane, in lieu of Part of the said Little Common
Lane, extending about the same Distance ; and also if a new Line of
Road were made through inclosed Lands, from
Lower Collins's Gate:, on Godford Farm, in Awliscombe, aforesaid, to
about Two furlongs beyond the Four Mile Stone on the said Road to Cullompton
in 'lieu of so much of the present Road
from Lower Collins's Gate aforesaid to the same Place, about Two
Furlongs beyond the said Four Mile-. Stone,
which last-mentioned Roads pass, or are intended to pass from, through, or into, the several Parishes of Honiton,
Farway, Gittisham, Sidbury, Buckerell, Churchstanton, Awliscombe, Feniton and
Peahembury, in the said County of Devon, or some of them;
and it would be convenient that all the Roads herein previously
described should ,be. placed under the Care
and Management of the Trustees authorized to carry this Act into
execution; and that the same should constitute only One Trust, to be called The
Honiton Turnpike:
Okehampton Paving Act
1790 (30 Geo3 c25)
An Act for the Paving and Lighting of the street
in Honiton and building a New Market House in the town.
Select Committee on State of Roads 1840
Lewis Gidley of Honiton (clerk to the trust) reported
There are 44 miles of main road and 4 miles 7 furl 5 yds of branch road
(48 miles 7 fl 5 yds in total ) thru 19 parishes – all repaired by the trustees
(except 5 furl 145 yards which Parish of Clayhidon repair, the trust allowing
them a guinea.);
17 toll gates and 3 side gates
The roads are stated to be in “good condition” – no part under
indictment for want of repair nor ever have been.
Report to Secretary of State 1854
BPP Vol49 (1854/5) No. 14.— HONITON ROADS.
The existing Act (the 3rd of George IV. cap. 98.) repealed the former Act as far as it related to these roads. Its terms would have expired with the session of 1844, but has been extended by the several Turnpike Acts Continuance Acts until the 1st day of November 1855.
The Trustees of these roads applied to the
Secretary of State in July 1853, and again
in May 1854 to except the Local Act in the Schedule of the Annual
Continuance Act, on the grounds that the
affairs of the Trust were in such a position as to be quite irretreivable
without the intervention of Parliament, and showed, by a statement of
their accounts, that an annual surplus of only £20 5s 6dreamined to meet the
large arrears of interest. The statement
was accompanied by the following remark -—"Orders have from time to time
been made on the surveyors of highways of the parishes within the
limits of' the Trust; but with these the Trustees have been unable to carry out an arrangement entered
into with the deed poll creditors (to
pay two years interest in one), in order to retain the control of the roads, the
creditors having a judgement in ejectment
The length of the roads belonging to the Trust
is about 51.5 miles, of which
about a quarter of a mile is in the town of
Cullompton, and is repaired by the Trust. Upon these roads there are
16 toll-gates and three bars. Two
full tolls are taken upon the road leading from Honiton towards
The debt upon this Trust was stated at £7,100 in the years 1835 and 1836, but has since been reduced to £7,000, part of which appears to have been borrowed upwards of 70 or 80 years ago. In the year l847 the sum of £966 2s was entered in the annual return as £debts paid off” and small sums were also entered in previous returns as “sinking fund”; but the bonded debt has not been reduced to an extent equal to these payments. The Accounts of this trust have not been transmitted with regularity, and the returns for 1840, 1841, 1845, 1846, and 1847 could not be obtained at the proper times for presentation to Parliament; but copies have recently been transmitted by the present clerk, in which the debts are altogether omitted, and some of the balances do not agree with the other returns. The accounts show that the toll income has decreased, and that since 1848, aid has been obtained from the parishes. The funds have been expended in repairing the road, salaries (£78 15s. per annum, including £30 to the treasurer), law charges occasionally, the current interest and part of the arrears since 1847, and incidental expenses. The sum of £65. 8s. 11d. entered as "law charges" in the account for 1853 was originally included with incidental expenses, and is thus made up •—
£ s. d.
" By payments to witnesses before
magistrates, on applications for orders on parishes through
which
the Turnpike roads pass - - - 8
12 6
" By allowance to the clerk for journeys taken by him and his clerk
relative to the obtaining of
orders on the surveyors of the highways of the
various parishes, for two' years - - - - - 10 0 0
" Horse hire and expenses of journeys so
taken from September 1851 to March 1853 -
- - 18 2 1
" By magistrates clerk's fees at
Collumpton for orders - 4
5 10
" By ditto ditto at Honiton - - 7
3 6
" By allowance made to the surveyors for journeys taken, and measuring the
roads in several of
the parishes, in order to give same in evidence before the magistrates - 17 5 0
£65 8s 11d
The interest has been paid during the last few
years under the following arrangement:—"The mortgagees are not in
possession of the toll-gates, but the Trustees have been paying to their agent,
Mr. Richard Bowerman of Uffculme (who is also the treasurer to the Trust), the
sum of £600 per annum, when their funds have enabled them to do so, it being on
these terms that the ejectment creditors agreed not to take possession of the
gates."
In the return for 1847 the following item appears in the expenditure:—
Balance
due to the Trust by Mr. C. S. Flood, a bankrupt, the late treasurer, as per
account, £298 8s. 91/4., which sum has been lost to the Trust,
notwithstanding the special provision in Section 22 of the Local Act.
The clerk states that no proposals have been
made to the creditors to reduce the rate of interest, and extinguish the
arrears, the Trustees being of opinion that such application would be futile,
the creditors having obtained judgments in ejectment."
In the present application to Parliament it is proposed to repeal the existing Act, and to take more effectual powers for the term of 21 years. The principal clauses in the new Bill are as under:—
Clause 4 continues the existing liabilities of the Trust, " except as herein-" after otherwise provided."
Clause 6 authorizes " any number " of additional Trustees to be appointed, instead of limiting the number as usual.
Clause 9 describes the roads of the Trust, but
omits certain portions, which are to be excluded from the Trust, and are thus
described by the clerk:— "
The road from the
FourCrossway called Combe-Raleigh Cross to Ewen's Ash, Gully Lane, and Red Lane,
towards Taunton, to join the Monkton and Upottery Road near Churchtaunton -
- - - - 8 miles.
also the road from Stoney Bridge Gate by Tracey
to .Saint Cyrus Hill ..... 3/4 of a mile.
From Brookhill to Littletown Cottage - - - 1/4
of a mile.
Also the
road leading from Hayne Lane Gate to the
Sir George Grey’s attention has been drawn to the
matters below;
To the Right Honourable
the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
The undersigned magistrates, residents, and
proprietors of land in the neighbourhood of Honiton,
1.
That great dissatisfaction has for a long time been felt by the parishes of'
the district, at being obliged, under the orders of Magistrates, to
contribute out of the Highway Rate to
the repair of the Turnpike Roads and also
to pay tolls as before.
2. That a general desire therefore prevails
that in the new Act the cost of
repairing the roads should have priority in future over other charges.
3.
That the dissatisfaction above referred to is further increased by the fact
that under the arbitrary powers of the Act .30 Geo. 3. c.25. (The Honiton
Paving Trust Act) and now exercised by the Town Council of Honiton, they are obliged to contribute a large sum
amounting at present to from £300 to £400, per annum, for the expenses of
paving, watching, and lighting the town
of Honiton, while the sum raised by rate for the purpose on houses and lands in Honiton does not exceed £200 per
annum.
4, That in respect of the tolls so collected,
the length of road repaired at the expense
of the Trust is of comparatively small amount.
5. That we have reason
to believe that if the tolls received by the Paving Trust, and which, before the introduction of
railroads, amounted to from £700. to
£800 per annum, had been carefully and judiciously administered,
the debt of the Trust
might have been long since altogether redeemed, and the tolls reduced or
abolished.
(Signed) J. KENNAWY, Bart. Wm. POTER. C GORDON
jnr Magistrates for
The
following questions were submitted to the clerk to the Trustees (who is also
the town clerk), to which replies have been received as under ;• —
Question
1. State the names of the toll-gates
within the limits of the Honiton Improvement
Act? — Answer. The Turnpike Trustees have
no toll-gates strictly within the limits of the Improvement Act,
although the Clapper Lane Gate is at the
boundary thereof. There has been but one gate
erected under the Improvement Act. called the King's Road Gate, at which turnpike tolls are
not levied.
Question
2. State the names of the toll-gates
belonging to the Turnpike Trustees, at
which tolls are collected under the powers of the Honiton Improvement Act? — Answer. The Potters Kiln,
Question
3. What length of road (if any)
belonging to the Trust is within the
town limits, and by whom such portion or road is repaired? — Answer. The whole of the roads within the town are
repaired by the Council of Honiton, the
Improvement Commissioners having transferred their powers, pursuant to the provisions of the Municipal
Corporation Act.
Question
4. Whether the Improvement Commissioners
publish annual accounts, and if so, can
a copy of the last account be forwarded? — Answer. The accounts are annually published, pursuant
to the 93rd section of the above-named
Act. A copy of the statement for the year ended September 1854 is enclosed.
List of Roads
Cuckowdown Road; UC Road from the Potter's Kilns Turnpike,
Honiton to Cheeseman Ash (now Tower Cross) on Northcote Hill, and
from thence to Cuckowdown on Honiton Hill ??(about 1 mile?)
Roncombe Gurt Road; UC road
running south from Honiton
Church by the Marle Pitts Turnpike,
past the Golf Course over Farway Hill,
to the Lyme Turnpike
Road near Roncombe Gurt ; (about 4 miles)
Gittisham Hill Road; A375 from Star Cross Lane in Honiton, over Gittisham Hill, to the
Lyme Turnpike Road (and Honiton to Sidmouth turnpike) at Brandy Corner (now
Hare and Hounds)(about 3 miles);
Smeatharpe Road; UC road from Potter’s Kilns Turnpike, by
Langford Bridge, over Luppit Common through Smeatharpe, crossing the Somerset
border, to join the
Upottery Road near Churchstanton (about 12 miles), (the
northern-most 8 miles were removed in 1854 Act)
Upottery Road; A30 from
Straighthead Road; A30 (with some old
sections now UC road) from Star Cross Lane, Honiton, through
Fenny Bridges to Straightway Head, Whimple to join with the Exeter Turnpike
Road (about 9 miles)
Sections of new road added in 1822
Ring-in -the -Mire Road; UC
road south from Brook Hill, Honiton, through Love Lane and the
South Vale of Honiton,
to become a track to Higher
Blannicombe Farm, continued Ring-in -the -Mire upon Farway
Hill, and from thence in two Branches (both now abandoned as through
lanes), One to join the Roncombe Gurt
Road, and the other to join the Lyme
Turnpike Road, and then over an
Inclosure called 'The Gore, to
the Sidmouth Turnpike Road, at Great Gore Gate, Sidbury
(i.e. along the ridge) (about 6 miles); (some removed in Act of 1854)
Churchenford
Streets; UC road from
Short sections of new road in Honiton added in 1822
Dowell's Lane; stretch of A373 leading from the Town of
Little Common Lane; Road
from near Marle Pits Turnpike
Gate, through inclosed Lands, into Little
Godford Cross; new
Line of Road through inclosed Lands, from Lower Collins's Gate:, on Godford
Farm (Godford Cross) , in Awliscombe,, to about Two furlongs beyond the Four
Mile Stone on the said Road to Cullompton
(stretch of A373) in 'lieu of so much of the present Road from Lower Collins's Gate, about
Two Furlongs beyond the said Four Mile-Stone,
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Typical Honiton gabled milestone. This one is north of Upottery |
Typical Honiton
Tombstone milestone. This one is south of Cullompton at Keeper’s Cottage |
Typical Honiton old
gabled milestone. This one is south of Peyhembury |
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