Milestones after the Turnpikes Trusts

Milestones are often regarded as emblematic of the turnpike era. After all, Turnpike Trusts were obliged through their individual Act of Parliament, to measure the roads and erect markers at one Statute mile interval indicating the distance to the towns at the end of the road. It is certainly true that many of the milestones we can still observe, placed at regular intervals beside the road, were erected by the turnpike trustees in fulfilment of this requirement. However, many milestones, though old and beside turnpike routes, date from after the turnpike era.  Even some milestones that were erected before the end of the turnpikes in the 1870s may not have been erected by local Highway Boards, not the trusts.

What is the evidence?

Some milestones proclaim the fact that they were put up by County Councils, which came into existence in 1888, and so these definitely post-date the turnpikes trusts (e.g. North Yorkshire, Cheshire, Somerset).  A few even bear dates that show Counties undertook major refurbishment of the milestones within a few years of taking responsibility for the main roads (e.g. Cheshire). There are examples of mileposts bearing the name of Urban District Councils (e.g. Derbyshire, Cheshire), Rural District Councils (e.g. Herefordshire) and Highway Districts (North Yorkshire)

 

In other counties, the similarity of milestone design across large areas suggests that a central authority had commissioned these (e.g. Staffordshire). In several instances, there are records that show that the county placed contracts with a particular foundry for a single design to replace the enormously diverse of stones and plates used by the individual turnpike trusts (e.g. Staffordshire). In much of the North, South and West Ridings of Yorkshire the distinctive Brayshaw & Booth milestones display the names of the old turnpike roads on the new plates, but records show these were erected by the County and date from around 1900.

 

Other cases are more difficult to judge with certainty. In Devon for instance, it is known that in the 1850s the roads around Holsworthy were under the management of local surveyors, not a turnpike trust. Hence, the distinctive slate milestones must have been erected by this early Highway Board. In 1878, Highway Boards and later County Councils nominated roads as “main roads”. Most of these were the old turnpike roads but some turnpikes were not nominated, whereas some roads that had remained under parish and Highway Board control were nominated as main roads. Several of these new main roads now have full sets of milestones and so it must be assumed that these were erected by the County after the turnpike era (e.g. Cornwall). In other examples, minor turnpikes became “main roads” and new mileposts were erected by the county (e.g. Somerset).

 

Materials of construction can indicate a post-turnpike date for a mile marker. Steel was not available at low cost until the early 20th century and so pressed steel mileposts such as those found on minor roads in Buckinghamshire, can be assigned to a post-turnpike period. In Worcestershire a large number of new milestones made from concrete were erected in the 1930s. These Bradley milestones, named after the County Engineer who commissioned them, are now a distinctive feature of Worcestershire’s roads.

 

Finally, there are the modern replacements for milestones that have been lost or badly damaged. Generally these will have a date indicating when they were erected, but this may not have been best practice in the early 20th century and so some unusual markers within a historic turnpike series may be Council replacements. Some of these can be identified by comparing the text recorded on the early OS maps of around 1880 with the present inscriptions; though it is wise to rely solely on the mapped evidence.

 

It must also be remembered that almost all milestones have been moved since the turnpike era. In May 1940 County Councils arranged to bury, remove or deface all road signs, including milestones, in anticipation of a potential invasion. Most markers were re-instated in their original positions after the War but some were displaced or modified. Re-facing and re-painting of the markers has been essential and accumulated errors may have significantly altered the display and shape of some markers (e.g. Wiltshire stones)

 

So, a surprisingly large proportion of the milestones we see today are not the ones erected by the Turnpike Trusts 250 years ago. In England about 1500 of the 7800 surviving milestones were erected by local authorities; of these 500 have warranted Listing as Grade II monuments. The proportion of markers that post-date the turnpike era varies across the country as the section below demonstrates. In Cheshire almost all milemarkers are attributable to the County Council, whereas in most of the Thames Valley almost none are; in the North Midlands from Staffordshire through Yorkshire, more than half the large number of surviving milemarkers were erected by local authorities, not turnpike trusts. Cast iron mileposts or large plates are the most common form of milemarker erected by County Councils, though a few stone examples exist, particularly in Cornwall. Since they were erected later than the turnpike milestones and often in more durable material, such as cast iron, the County Council milemarkers have in general survived better.

 

Other Wayside Markers

  • Note that this analysis only relates to milemarkers – fingerposts and direction signs are much more likely to have been erected by County Highways Departments and many boundary markers date from the creation of the new local authorities in the late Victorian Period.
  • The small number of  pre-turnpike marker stones are either guide stones (stoops on Moorlands showing direction and spot distances) or boundary markers (Oxford Mileway)  rather than milestones(regular markers of distance). There is no evidence in the Milestone Society database that any series of milemarkers have survived from a period before the Turnpike Trusts were required to do this, from around 1740.

 

To see notes and information on wayside markers dating from before the turnpikes, click on Wayside crosses and guide stoops.

 

A look through the English Counties

BEDFORDSHIRE – one modern replacement plate

BERKSHIRE – 6 modern replacements stones

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE – Pressed steel mileposts erected by County in 20th century on minor roads around Newport and Brill (18 survive); 6 aluminium plates on old Holyhead Road; and 10 assorted replacements stones and plates.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE – none identified

CHESHIRE – 204 CCC Mileposts; 5 crested posts; 1 UDC post

CORNWALL – potentially over 240, though most identified from records rather than evidence on the milemarker - mainly milestones on main roads that were not turnpikes – erected variously by Highway Boards, Parishes, local gentry or County Council (e.g. 11 on Kilkhampton road erected by County on nominated main road that was not a turnpike). Examples highlighted by Ian Thompson search of records.

CUMBRIA – none identified (some included in old Yorkshire)

DERBYSHIRE – one UDC Milepost, 2 replacement posts

DEVON – 4 replacement stones (note that 104 Barum stones were commissioned and erected by the trustees when the Barnstaple trust handed over its roads in 1879)

DORSET – none identified

DURHAM  – 5 County Council Posts

ESSEX – none identified

GLOUCESTERSHIRE – 3 County of Worcs dated posts; several replacement plates

HAMPSHIRE– none identified

HEREFORDSHIRE – 13 RDC posts

HERTFORDSHIRE – none identified

KENT – one replacement stone

LANCASHIRE – one replacement stone, 5 B&B Yorks Council Plates

LEICESTERSHIRE – 9 crested mileposts maybe LCC (not counted in table)

LINCOLNSHIRE – 4 HCC castings

MIDDLESEX – 1 Local Board post; 1 dated City plate

NORFOLK52 NCC Main Road posts variously in stone, metal and concrete; 3 replacement stones

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE  – two modern plate

NORTHUMBERLAND – 1 composite

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE – 1 NCC cast post

OXFORDSHIRE – none identified; but suspect that a cluster of 5 around Abingdon are Highway Board stones

RUTLAND – none identified

SHROPSHIRE  – none identified

SOMERSET – 6 SCC 1911 posts; 6 Honiton/Taunton posts; 7 replacement stone

STAFFORDSHIRE – 219 Charles Lathe Castings; 65 Cochrane Castings; 1 replacement stone

SUFFOLK – 2 replacements

SURREY–  1 replacement stone

SUSSEX– none identified

WARWICKSHIRE – none identified

EAST YORKSHIRE – 2 replacement stones;

NORTH YORKSHIRE – 3 replacement stones, 1 plate; 20 B&B Yorks Council V Plates; 16 RDC/NYC Rose castings; 27 NRYCC Castings; 15 Hwy Dist Castings; 14 Towler castings and others – total 226 mainly posts and V shaped plates on stones.

SOUTH YORKSHIRE – 3 replacement stones; 65 mainly B&B V shaped plates on stones

WEST YORKSHIRE – 3 replacement stones; 220 mainly B&B V shaped plates on stones

WILTSHIRE  - one replica stone; several stones have incorrect text painted on eroded surfaces.

WORCESTERSHIRE; 62 Bradley stones; 8 RDC posts

 

Number of post-turnpike Milemarkers in English Counties

 – based on Milestone Society database

COUNTY

Total Milestones Listed by EH

Guess at Total surviving milestones

Post Turnpikes milestones

Post Turnpike milestones listed

BEDFORDSHIRE

1

18

1

 

BERKSHIRE *

86

102

6

 

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

16

147

34

 

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

104

138

0

 

CHESHIRE

70

295

210

5

CORNWALL

340

500

243

138

CUMBRIA

188

260

0

 

DERBYSHIRE

116

188

3

 

DEVON

131

400

4

 

DORSET

53

228

0

 

DURHAM

75

155

5

 

ESSEX

52

119

0

 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

148

220

3

 

HAMPSHIRE

106

335

0

 

HEREFORDSHIRE

107

250

13

 

HERTFORDSHIRE

62

90

0

 

KENT

25

140

0

 

LANCASHIRE

77

110

6

 

LEICESTERSHIRE

50

72

0

 

LINCOLNSHIRE

81

140

4

 

MIDDLESEX

0

65

1

 

NORFOLK

18

350

55

 

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

11

30

2

 

NORTHUMBERLAND

162

210

1

 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

10

35

1

 

OXFORDSHIRE *

71

190

0

 

RUTLAND

6

10

0

 

SHROPSHIRE

159

300

0

 

SOMERSET

214

280

19

 

STAFFORDSHIRE

188

387

285

106

SUFFOLK

15

150

2

 

SURREY

20

165

1

 

SUSSEX

0

65

0

 

WARWICKSHIRE

14

45

0

 

EAST YORKSHIRE

17

112

2

 

NORTH YORKSHIRE

247

400

226

113

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

111

144

68

56

WEST YORKSHIRE

233

340

223

115

WILTSHIRE

302

380

1

 

WORCESTERSHIRE

29

230

70

3

 

3821

7795

1489

536

* Significant changes in County size

 

Say 7800

Say 1500

Say 500

 

Examples of Local Authority Milemarkers

Bucks CC Steel milepost

Somerset CC replacement of earlier DCC milepost

Cheshire CC 1896 casting

Staffs CC Casting

North Riding of Yorks CC, Casting

South Riding of Yorks CC; Brayshaw and Booth Casting

North Riding of Yorks CC; Brayshaw and Booth type Casting

Holsworthy Highway Board milestone, Devon

 

This page created by Alan Rosevear 19th Feb 2009.

Last Edited 9 th March 2009.