Tavistock Turnpike Road
This trust was created
in 1762 to administer the roads running down the east bank of the River Tamar
into
J House of Commons - Reports
10 Dec 1761 Tavistock
Pet of gentlemen, clergy, freeholders and
other in and near Tavistock and near
That road from Market Place in Tavistock
across church yard to lower Abbey gate over River Tavy, thru
And from South end of bridge by places
called Rock Jump, Knocker’s Hole and Manadon Gate to Old Town Gate in
And from Manadon Gate to Old Pound near Plymouth Dock
And from Tavistock to
And Galworthy to East end of
And road from Tavistock thru Milemead Lane, Lamerton Green, Tooldown, Milton Abbot, Church Town and Feldown Head to East of Greston Bridge in Parish of Dunterton, in road to Launceston,
And road from Tavistock by Wringworthy Lane Head and Beardon to Downton Gate in Parish of Lydford
And road from Tavistock by Hardwick and over Heathfield Down to a Public House called Riccard’s House, in Parish of Lamerton
Are very ruinous and dangerous for travellers and in many places carriages cannot pass without great difficulty
And that the Streets of Tavistock leading to East Bridge across River Tavy in road to Plymouth are very narrow and inconvenient and carriages frequently overturned, at great peril and danger to travellers and although taking down old bridge and building a new at Abbey Gate will be a great public convenience, it cannot be done without aid cannot be done without aid of Parliament
14 Dec 1761
Mr Rigby reported
To prove Mr Richard Turner said roads are ruinous
Mr Abraham Pike confirmed
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Vol
33 12 Geo III
18 Feb 1772
Pet of gentlemen, clergy, freeholders and principal inhabitants of Borough of Tavistock and of trustees of Act of 2 Geo III
They have proceeded and executed Act borrowed and expending a considerable sum of money but cannot sufficiently be repaired without continuation and enlargement
The road thru Matthew Street and Brook Street over river Tavy, by Tavyton and over Little Down and by Merreville Bridge and Two Bridges to CherryBrook in the Forest of Dartmoor in rd from Exeter to Tavistock thru Moreton Hampstead
And road from two bridges to Dunnabridge Pound in road from Tavistock to Ashburton
And road branching from the Callington TP leading thru Morwellham Lane over Morwell Down to certain Quays on the River Tamar are in some places very narrow.
25 Feb 1772
Mr Rigby rpt
To prove Mr Christopher Gullett said have borrowed and roads are ruinous
6 mar 1772
Petition of aldermen and Common council of
Bodmin and others and trustees of Bodmin TP (9 Geo III) and mortgagees of tolls
– note this and another act for
Cherry Brook is 15 miles from Tavistock
Note there are 3 Great TPS completed and in good repair thru Devon to
No public road was ever known over that
part of
20 Mar 1772
Pet of gentlemen, clergy, freeholders and
principal inhabitants of Dunheved otherwise Launceston and
There are already 3 Great Turnpikes,
Moretonhampstead is a small and inconsiderable place, The Forest of Dartmoor is
very hilly wild and uninhabited – all three roads West from
23 Mar1772 Pet of Mayor, Burgesses assistants and inhabitants Okehampton and trustees of Act of 1760 and mortgagees noting also the Dunsford Act
There is at present a great TP to
Okehampton and Lydford and to
Greater part of intended road is wild, bleak, mountainous and uninhabited and impassable for months in a year –will not be of public utility to build
List of
Acts
|
Tavistock |
|
2 Geo3 c50 |
1762 |
|
|
Tavistock |
Road to |
12 Geo3 |
1772 |
|
|
Tavistock |
Breaks off the |
44 Geo3 c76 |
1804 |
|
|
Tavistock |
New roads
west of Tavistock down to the Tamar |
6 Geo4 c91 |
1825 |
|
|
Tavistock |
Expired |
30&31 Vic c121 |
1867 |
Nov 1867 |
Tavistock 1804
An Act for amending and repairing several Roads
leading from the Guildhall and Market-House in Tavistock, to New Bridge, to Greston
Bridge, to Downtown Gate, to Riccard's House, to Cherrybrook and Dunnabridge
Pound, and to Morwellham and New Quay, all in the County of Devon. [3d July
1804.]
Tavistock 1825
An Act for more effectually repairing and
improving several Roads leading from Tavistock to New Bridge, and other Roads
therein mentioned, all in the County of Devon; and for making Diversions to
communicate therewith. [20th May 1825.]
And whereas the making and maintaining
of an Alteration or Diversion of the said Roads leading from Tavistock to Greston Bridge, commencing
at Tuell Down in the Parish of Milton Abbott in
the: said 'County of Devon, and terminating at Milton
Green in the same Parish; and also the making and maintaining of another
Alteration or Diversion in the same Road, commencing at Eastacott in the Parish of Dunterton in
the said County, and terminating at Greston Bridge in the same Parish ; and also the making and maintaining of another
Alteration or Diversion in the said
Road, leading from Tavistock to Downtown Gate, commencing at
Lanehead in the Parish of Mary Tavy in the said County, and terminating at Downtown Gate in the Parish of
Lidford in the said County; and also
the making and maintaining of another Alteration or Diversion in the said
Road leading from Tavistock to Downtown Gate, commencing at Wringwortby Cross near Harford Bridge in the said Parish of Mary
Tavy and terminating at the
River Dart in the Forest of Dartmoor
in the said Parish of Lidford; and also the making and maintaining a
Road from Riccards House in the Parish of Lamerton in the said
County, to Downtown Gate in the said Parish of Lidford; and also the making and
maintaining of another Alteration or Diversion in the said Road leading from Tavistock to New Bridge, commencing at Ford Street Toll Gate in the
Parish of Tavistock in the
said County, and terminating at the East End of New Bridge in the same
Parish; and also the making and maintaining a Road from Cullacombe Down in the said Parish of Lamerton,
by Cbipshop, to near Hurlditch
Horn in the said Parish of Tavistock
; and also the making and maintaining a certain other Road from Cullacombe Down aforesaid
to the North End of Beckwell Farm in the Parish of Milton
Abbott aforesaid, and from thence to Lifton
Town in the Parish of Lifton in the said County ; and also
another Road leading from the Cross Road near Long Cross in the Parish
of Lamerton aforesaid, by Chillaton Hill Head, to Lew Down, in
the Parish of Lew Trenchard in the said County ; and also the making and maintaining a Road from the Guildhall
in Tavistock to a Lane leading towards Indiscombe in the said Parish of Tavistock;
and also the making and
maintaining of a Road from Hathfield near Hurdwick Lane in the Parish
of Lamerton aforesaid, to Yelloway Lane in the Parish of Milton
Abbott aforesaid; and also the making and maintaining of a Road from Milemead Head in the said Parish of Tavistock, to the present Turnpike-Road
near Hurdwick in the same Parish ; and also the making and maintaining a
Road leading from the Market House and Guildhall in Tavistock, to the
North End of Westbridge in the said Parish of Tavistock, would be of great Utility and Advantage, not only to the Public, but also
to the Proprietors and Occupiers of the neighbouring Estates:
Select Committee on State of Roads 1840
Henry Cornish of Tavistock (clerk to the trust) reported
There are 51 miles 56 yards of road thru 12 parishes – 38 miles 7 furl
are repaired by the trustees under contracts and the remainder by the trustees
themselves
12 toll gates and 3 side bars
The roads are stated to be in “good” condition – no part under
indictment for want of repair.
In 1848 the trust reported 54 miles, 4 furlongs a small increase)
List of Roads
Greston
Bridge Road;
B3362 (was A384 ) from Tavistock to Greston
Bridge, through Milemead, Lamerton and Milton Abbott, Church Town and Fellhead,
with a loop down from Eastcott through Dunterton to reach Greystone
Bridge.(about 9 miles) commencing at Tuell Down in the
Parish of Milton Abbott, and terminating at Milton Green and Eastacott in the Parish of Dunterton in the said County, and terminating at Greston Bridge
Mary Tavy Road; UC Road running SE from Wringworthy Cross (jct with A386) near Harford
Bridge, Mary Tavy to Moorshop Crossroads with B3357 (about 2 miles)
Dartmoor
Road; B3357
from Tavyton through Merryvale Bridge eastwards through Two Bridges, Cherry
Brook to Dunnabridge Pound and the River Dart at Dartmeet in the Forest of Dartmoor (in the said Parish of Lidford) (about 12 miles) (under
the 1772 Act - joins with Moretonhampstead turnpike near Cherrybrook))
Brentor Road
UC road from Tavistock N to Brentor from Hathfield
near
Riccard’s House Road; UC Road from Riccards House (North
Brentor) in the Parish of Lamerton, through Lydford to Downtown Gate at jct with A386 (about 5 miles);
New Bridge Road, A390
from Ford Street Toll Gate, Tavistock,
through Gulworthy to the East End of New Bridge
over the Tamar (about 4 miles)
ROADS DOWN TO THE QUAYS
Lifton Road
UC road from Collacombe Down to
the North
End of Beckwell Farm in the
Parish of Milton Abbot, and thence to Lifton to jct with A388 (about 6
miles);
Lew Down Road UC road from Long Cross (on Lifton Road) in the
Parish of Lamerton, by Chillaton Hill Head, Coryton, through
Uppaton and Chillaton to Lew Down, Lew
Trenchard (about 5 miles)
Earlier act of 1772 included below but this was repealed in 1804
Quays
Road; B3257 road from Hurldich Horn at jct with A390,
over Morwellham Down and then branch on UC to the Quays at Morwellham and
NewQuay on the River Tamar (about 2 miles) –
There are milestones on the B3257 going south from here to Bere Ferrers
– not clear when this was turnpiked or whether these were erected by the Quay
owners and carriers or the Highways Board.
Earlier
roads abandoned when new Plymouth Road constructed over Bedford Bridge;
Peter Tavy to Horrabridge; (section to
Moorshop is above) UC from Moorshop over Plaster Down to Horrabridge (about 4
miles)
A typical milestone erected by the Tavistock Trust in a design
referred to as large Tavistock tombstone. This one is located at Beardon, on
the A386, east of Lydford.
A
typical early milestone erected by the Tavistock Trust in a design referred to
as Old Tavistock post. This one is located by Lydford castle.
Typical
Milestone on the Tavistock road on
An older style of Tavistock Milestone dated 1832 on
road from Peter Tavy to Plymouth
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