All over the county there are yellow diversion signs, road closed signs, and endless roadworks. Which brings to mind Bernard Cribbin's song There was I, a-digging this hole, Hole in the ground, So big and sort of round it was ...... with the chorus Don't dig it there, dig it elsewhere, You're digging it round and it ought to be square ... etc etc So this month I am looking at the Surveyor of the Highways, one of the voluntary position within the Parish Officers who assembled at the Vestry Meeting. I am sure it was an unpopular job as they could levy a rate and assemble the parishioners to mend the roads. From an Act of Parliament in 1555 a parish was responsible for all the roads in that parish, and they had to be maintained and repaired by the inhabitants of that parish. Now if you were in some little rural backwater it may not have been too big a task, but imagine if you had the Great North Road (now the A1) running through your parish. And some did. The County, i.e. The Quarter Sessions, were responsible for bridges. The Surveyors of the Highways (sometimes there were two) were appointed at the Vestry Meeting held at Easter, and were appointed for a year. If they refused to act, or neglected their duty, then they would be fined at the Quarter Sessions 40 shillings. The Surveyor of the Highways would then decide that certain days were for mending the roads and the parishioners had to meet together and give free labour. These were called Statute Days. If you refused or did not turn up, you too could be summoned to the Quarter Sessions and fined. Sometimes a whole parish was summoned if their roads were in a bad way, sometimes just individuals. The Quarter Session records are peppered with such summons. The Quarter Sessions held at Thirsk on the 17th and 18th April 1610 summoned the inhabitants of Middleham for not repairing the highway between Elizabeth Clarkson's house and Henry Watterson's, his house leading to the church. Later the same year, at the June Quarter Sessions, Thomas Spence of Newbiggin was summoned for refusing to work on the highways. Thomas Spence was a bit of a rebel because he was then in contempt for not obeying the warrant. At the same Sessions a record was made that the High Street leading through the Lordship of Constable Burton to the coalpitts was in great ruin and ought to be repaired by the inhabitants of Finghall, and the same for the road from Spennithorne to the coalpitts. Old maps pinpont quarries in this area but not coal pits, so I am intrigued. On 18th July 1693 at the Quarter Sessions held in Bedale, the inhabitants of Askrigg (on far right on map) were presented for not repairing the highway that went from Askrigg to Kirkby Stephen in Westmoreland at the place called Cotter (top left on map). Those of you who know this bit of the dales will appreciate what a task it would be to keep the road up Cotter in repair, it is steep. So what did the inhabitants have to do? The Surveyor of the Highways had to decided which bits needed mending, find the stone and supply some tools. Each parish would have tools for breaking stones to mend the roads. Those who had horses and carts had to bring them, but most would have had wheel barrows or hand carts. If you were a land owner with land worth £50 p.a. you could send two labourers in your stead. The Statute Days would be announced in church, and then you hoped for a fine day and not rain. Bad luck if you were hoping to get your grass cut that day. This is from George Walker's "Costumes of Yorkshire" 1814 and is of road menders. You may have to give up four or even six days a year to mend the roads. Of course, this meant that the quality of the roads varied from parish to parish, not just because of material available, but because of the skill and ability of the Surveyor. This document is about collecting money. The Surveyors of the Highways were allowed to levy a rate in the parish and had to keep accounts to pay for tools and materials. This is an Assessment of 3d in the £ for defraying the necessary expenses belonging to the Highways of East Witton Township in the North Riding of Yorkshire made this 21st day of February 1837 by John Smallpage, Overseer. It then listed all the owners and occupiers of property and the value. By the time of this document the system of Statute Days of Labour had been abolished, and in 1835 rates were levied to pay workmen. There is nothing new about paying rates. I remember the roadman who looked after all the ditches around the village where I went to school. I often met him on my long walk to and from the village. At each Easter Vestry Meeting the Surveyor had to hand in his accounts. Alexander Fothergill [1709 - 1788] of Carr End, Raydale, kept a diary of the time he was the Surveyor of the Richmond to Lancaster Turnpike starting in 1751. He kept meticulous accounts and travelled along the eastern route of the road continually, come rain, hail or sun. He was required to organise the Statute Days of Labour for the parishes the turnpike passed through, acquire materials and tools, commission toll bars and houses, check on the workmen, etc, and he did this for 23 years. So what insights does his diary give about road mending? Alexander Fothergill often stayed at Halfpenny House (top right) and in 1754 he recorded in his diary - 5th June. I attended the townships of Laybourne [Leyburn] to and at their first Statute days of work. They appeared generally and wrought pretty well and led 255 cart loads of stones from my quarries and each one from their low quarries. 7th June. Early in the morning I came to Bellerby to attend the first common days work in that town, the inhabitants appeared generally and wrought pretty well and led 214 cart loads of stones onto the road ready casten for that purpose. In the evening I went down to lodge at Halfpenny House where I paid William Anderson the remainder due to him for making ninety two roods and a half of road on Coat Moor at 6s 9d per rood ..... However things did not go so well in Askrigg. 11th June. I attended the East half of Askrigg to their first Statute Day's work. They appeared very generally but wrought very idly and little could be done if I had not provided skuttles to place in their carts at which they were so greeved that often threw them away over into the fields. And so his diary recorded how we went along the whole route through Wensleydale in June 1754 summoning the inhabitants of each village to work on the roads, and whether they turned up or not and if they did any work. So next time you are faced with a "Road Closed" sign and a long diversion do think of your predecessors who had to turn up with a shovel and a wheel barrow or a hammer to break stones. Unless of course you really fancy being one of the "Boys from the Blackstuff" and driving a Big Machine. And I really think that the Sign Writers were a bit over-zealous in announcing that this road was closed.
1 Comment
10/7/2023 09:41:57 am
This post sums up what is happening in my neighbourhood (canalisation) for the next 2 years! No need for a 7am alarm call any more. But as you say, on the plus side we are saved from having to turn up in 30 plus degrees heat to help out! And what of the elderly and/or infirm (and currently I'm including myself in that bracket)?
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