Turnpike trusts in Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
during the 18th and 19th centuries. The trusts had powers to collect road tolls
for the maintenance of principal highways. The length of turnpike roads within what is now Greater Manchester
varied considerably, from the 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) Little Lever Trust, to the 22 miles (35.4 km) Manchester to Saltersbrook Trust.
Turnpikes contributed significantly to England's economic development before and during the Industrial Revolution
. Although the trusts were abolished in the late-19th century, the roads themselves broadly remain as modern routes, and some of the original toll houses and roadside milestone
s have survived.
The metropolitan county
of Greater Manchester was created in 1974 and so the turnpike trusts predate its existence. Greater Manchester lies at the conjunction of the historic county boundaries
of Cheshire
, Derbyshire
, Lancashire
and Yorkshire
; many trusts operated roads which crossed those ancient county boundaries. The list below is divided according to historic county, with the first part of the name of each trust determining which table it appears in.
for the road surface largely from limestone quarries in Clitheroe
. In Manchester, Liverpool, and Wigan, due to heavy coal traffic it was necessary to lay pavements of large stones along the roads. Suitable material would, if not found in the vicinity, be imported from the coasts of Wales and Scotland. Normally the pavement ran down the middle of the road, with a gravelled way on either side. An exception was along Bury New Road (built in 1826), where the middle track was 4 yards (3.7 m) of gravel, with stone pavements 3 yards (2.7 m) outside it. Such pavements were expensive, and unpopular with travellers who regularly described their discomfort travelling upon them.
Toll rates varied across the region, but preferential rates were often available to local residents, and for particular kinds of local traffic. The 1819 Act of the Crossford Bridge and Manchester Trust allowed it to charge half tolls on the inhabitants and occupiers of Trafford House, Old Trafford, and Stretford Moss. The Bolton and Westhoughton Trust allowed farmers from Rumworth
and Westhoughton
to use the roads free of charge, when taking horses and carts laden with produce from their own farms to Bolton
Market. Carriage of coal was often charged at half the normal rate, and no tolls were payable by persons travelling on foot. Other road users who were entitled to free passage included posthorses, carriage of ordnance and military stores, and cattle going to pasture.
Turnpike roads had a huge impact on the nature of business transport around Manchester. Packhorse
s were superseded by waggons, and merchants would no longer accompany their caravans to markets and fairs, instead sending agents with samples, and despatching the goods at a later date. In 1804 it was said that Manchester employed more than 120 "land carriers".
The railway era
spelt disaster for most turnpike trusts. Although some trusts in districts not served by railways managed to increase revenue, most did not. In 1829, the year before the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
opened, the Warrington and Lower Irlam Trust had receipts of £1,680, but by 1834 this had fallen to £332. The Bolton and Blackburn Trust had an income of £3,998 in 1846, but in 1847 following the completion of a railway
between the two towns this had fallen to £3,077, and in 1849 £1,185.
The end of the turnpike system created serious problems for the local parishes and highway district boards upon whom the burden of maintenance fell. The Local Government Act 1888
made the repair of all main roads the responsibility of the new County Council
s. Lancashire County Council
determined that any road leading to a town with a population of 25,000 or more would become a main road, which included almost all of the old turnpike roads in the region.
Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
during the 18th and 19th centuries. The trusts had powers to collect road tolls
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
for the maintenance of principal highways. The length of turnpike roads within what is now Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
varied considerably, from the 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) Little Lever Trust, to the 22 miles (35.4 km) Manchester to Saltersbrook Trust.
Turnpikes contributed significantly to England's economic development before and during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. Although the trusts were abolished in the late-19th century, the roads themselves broadly remain as modern routes, and some of the original toll houses and roadside milestone
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
s have survived.
The metropolitan county
Metropolitan county
The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, typically with populations of 1.2 to 2.8 million...
of Greater Manchester was created in 1974 and so the turnpike trusts predate its existence. Greater Manchester lies at the conjunction of the historic county boundaries
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
; many trusts operated roads which crossed those ancient county boundaries. The list below is divided according to historic county, with the first part of the name of each trust determining which table it appears in.
History
Method of construction and the design of the road surface varied. Before construction of its road, the Bury, Blackburn and Whalley Trust engaged "skilled persons" as temporary surveyors, to make a survey of the districts through which the road would pass. It then advertised for tenders for construction of varied parts of the roads, with contractors responsible for building their respective portions, under the supervision of permanent surveyors. The trust bought limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
for the road surface largely from limestone quarries in Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
. In Manchester, Liverpool, and Wigan, due to heavy coal traffic it was necessary to lay pavements of large stones along the roads. Suitable material would, if not found in the vicinity, be imported from the coasts of Wales and Scotland. Normally the pavement ran down the middle of the road, with a gravelled way on either side. An exception was along Bury New Road (built in 1826), where the middle track was 4 yards (3.7 m) of gravel, with stone pavements 3 yards (2.7 m) outside it. Such pavements were expensive, and unpopular with travellers who regularly described their discomfort travelling upon them.
Toll rates varied across the region, but preferential rates were often available to local residents, and for particular kinds of local traffic. The 1819 Act of the Crossford Bridge and Manchester Trust allowed it to charge half tolls on the inhabitants and occupiers of Trafford House, Old Trafford, and Stretford Moss. The Bolton and Westhoughton Trust allowed farmers from Rumworth
Deane, Greater Manchester
Deane is an area of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about south west of Bolton and northwest of the city of Manchester.Historically a part of Lancashire, the Parish of Deane was once one of four parishes within the hundred of Salford and covered roughly half of the present...
and Westhoughton
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
to use the roads free of charge, when taking horses and carts laden with produce from their own farms to Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
Market. Carriage of coal was often charged at half the normal rate, and no tolls were payable by persons travelling on foot. Other road users who were entitled to free passage included posthorses, carriage of ordnance and military stores, and cattle going to pasture.
Turnpike roads had a huge impact on the nature of business transport around Manchester. Packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
s were superseded by waggons, and merchants would no longer accompany their caravans to markets and fairs, instead sending agents with samples, and despatching the goods at a later date. In 1804 it was said that Manchester employed more than 120 "land carriers".
The railway era
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
spelt disaster for most turnpike trusts. Although some trusts in districts not served by railways managed to increase revenue, most did not. In 1829, the year before the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
opened, the Warrington and Lower Irlam Trust had receipts of £1,680, but by 1834 this had fallen to £332. The Bolton and Blackburn Trust had an income of £3,998 in 1846, but in 1847 following the completion of a railway
Ribble Valley Line
The Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through Blackburn to the small market town of Clitheroe in Lancashire. Regular passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but occasional passenger services run along the line through north Lancashire towards...
between the two towns this had fallen to £3,077, and in 1849 £1,185.
The end of the turnpike system created serious problems for the local parishes and highway district boards upon whom the burden of maintenance fell. The Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...
made the repair of all main roads the responsibility of the new County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
s. Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...
determined that any road leading to a town with a population of 25,000 or more would become a main road, which included almost all of the old turnpike roads in the region.
Cheshire
| Name | Interest | Income | Length | Main Gates | Side gates | Act | Year | date expired | county | modern road(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranage Green to Altrincham | 26 Geo. II, c. 26 | 1753 | 1881 | Cheshire | ||||||
| Stockport to Marple Bridge | 10 miles (16 km) (1852) | 5 | 1 (chain) | 41 Geo. III, c. 98 | 1801 | Cheshire & Derbys | ||||
| Washway (Crossford Bridge to Altringham) | 3 miles, 4 furlongs, 164 yards (5.8 km) (1852) |
Derbyshire
| Name | Interest | Income | Length (1848) | Main Gates | Side gates | Act | Year | date expired | county | modern road(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glossop to Marple Bridge | 43 Geo III. c. 18 | 1803 | Derbys |
Lancashire
| Name | Interest | Income | Length (1848) | Main Gates | Side gates | Act | Year | Year ended | county | modern road(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adlington and Westhoughton Trust | £201, 14s, 10d | Lancs | ||||||||
| Ashton and Platt Bridge | £175 13s 6d | 3 miles 4 furlong Furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries.... s (5.6 km) |
46 Geo III. c. 2 | 1806 | Lancs | |||||
| Ashton under Lyne to Saddleworth | 7 Geo. IV c. 21 | 1826 | Lancs & Yorks | |||||||
| Barton Bridge and Moses Gate | £933 13s 4d | 13 miles 1 furlong 110 yards (21.2 km) | ||||||||
| Barton Bridge and Stretford | £300 19s | 4 miles 3 furlongs 2 yards (7 km) | 51 Geo III. c. 31 | 1811 | Lancs | Barton Road, Stretford (partial) | ||||
| Bolton and Blackburn | £1,267 6d | 12 miles 5 furlongs 41 yards (20.4 km) | ||||||||
| Bolton and Nightingale | £1,755 10s 9d | 19 miles (30.6 km) | B6226 B roads in Zone 6 of the Great Britain numbering scheme B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 6 :-Zone 6 :... Smithills Dean RoadColliers Row RoadScout Road |
|||||||
| Bolton and St Helens | 17 miles 2 furlongs 44 yards (27.8 km) | 5 | 8 | B5215 | ||||||
| Bolton and Westhoughton | 2 miles 7 furlongs (4.6 km) | Bolton Road | ||||||||
| Bolton to Haslingdon (dormant) | 6 Geo IV. c. 92 | 1825 | Dormant | Lancs | ||||||
| Bolton to Leigh | 2 Geo III. c. 44 | 1762 | Lancs | |||||||
| Burnley to Tottington | 32 Geo III. c. 146 | 1795 | Lancs | |||||||
| Bury to Little Bolton | 5 miles 4 furlongs 176 yards (9 km) | 3 | 4 | 1 & 2 Geo IV. c. 90 | 1821 | Lancs | ||||
| Bury to Blackburn, Whalley etc | 33 miles 5 furlongs 9 yards (54.1 km) | |||||||||
| Bury to Haslingden to Blackburn | 29 Geo III. c. 107 | 1789 | Lancs | |||||||
| Dryclough, Shaw, Rochdale | 10 miles 7 furlongs 102 yards (17.6 km) | 1805 | Lancs | |||||||
| Eccles to Farnworth | ||||||||||
| Edenfield and Little Bolton | B6213 B roads in Zone 6 of the Great Britain numbering scheme B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 6 :-Zone 6 :... |
|||||||||
| Edenfield Chapel and Bury Bridge | ||||||||||
| Elton and Blackburn | 12 miles 6 furlongs (20.5 km) | B6214 B roads in Zone 6 of the Great Britain numbering scheme B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 6 :-Zone 6 :... |
||||||||
| Gilda Brook and Irlam | 7 miles 7 furlongs 173 yards (12.8 km) | B5320 B roads in Zone 5 of the Great Britain numbering scheme B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 5 :-Zone 5 :... |
||||||||
| Heath Charnock to Bolton | 3 Geo III. c. 31 | 1763 | Lancs | |||||||
| Heywood to Heaton | 29 Geo III. c. 110 | 1789 | ||||||||
| Hulme and Eccles | 3 miles 5 furlongs 214 yards (6 km) | 46 Geo III. | 22 March 1806 | Lancs | ||||||
| Hulme and Stretford | 5 miles 4 furlongs 183 yards (9 km) | |||||||||
| Hulton | 5 miles 20 yards (8.1 km) | |||||||||
| Ince, Hindley and Westhoughton | 6 miles (9.7 km) | |||||||||
| Irlam's-o'-th'-Heights | 3 miles 7 furlongs 87 yards (6.3 km) | |||||||||
| Little Lever | 4 furlongs (0.8 km) | 1 | 5 Geo. IV c. 143 | 1824 | 1849 (disturnpiked) | |||||
| Manchester and Ashton under Lyne | 3 miles 7 furlongs (6.2 km) | 6 Geo. IV c. 51 | 1825 | Lancs | ||||||
| Manchester and Bury | ||||||||||
| Manchester and Oldham and Austerlands | 19 miles 1 furlong (30.8 km) | 8 Geo. II c. 3 | 1735 | 1880 | Lancs & Yorks | |||||
| Manchester to Bolton | ||||||||||
| Manchester to Newton Chapel (dormant) | 57 Geo III. c. 47 | 1817 | Dormant | Lancs | ||||||
| Manchester to Pilkington | ||||||||||
| Manchester to Rochdale, Bury and Radcliffe | 5 miles 7 furlongs (9.5 km) | 28 Geo II. c. 58 | 1755 | 1873-80 | Lancs | |||||
| Manchester to Saltersbrook | 22 miles (35.4 km) | 5 Geo II. c. 10 | 1732 | 1884 | Lancs & Cheshire | |||||
| Manchester, Denton, Stockport | 58 Geo III. c. 6 | 1818 | Lancs & Cheshire | |||||||
| Mather Fold and Hardmans, Moses Gate District | 3 miles 2 furlongs (5.2 km) | |||||||||
| Mather Fold and Hardmans, Ringley District | 3 miles 6 furlongs (6 km) | |||||||||
| Pendleton Trust Agecroft District | £300 | 4 miles 187 yards (6.6 km) | Moor LaneSingleton Road | |||||||
| Pendleton Trust Irlam's-o'-th'-Heights District | ||||||||||
| Pendleton Trust Pendleton District | 2 miles 2 furlongs (3.6 km) | |||||||||
| Pendleton Trust Swinton District | 5 miles 2 furlongs (8.5 km) | |||||||||
| Prestwich and Bury | 5 miles 3 furlongs (8.7 km) | Stand Lane | ||||||||
| Radcliffe | 6 miles 1 furlongs (9.9 km) | |||||||||
| Rochdale and Burnley | 18 miles 4 furlongs (29.8 km) | 28 Geo II. c. 53 | 1755 | 1880 | Lancs | |||||
| Rochdale and Edenfield | 7 miles (11.3 km) | 34 Geo III. c. 124 | 1794 | Lancs | ||||||
| Rochdale and Manchester, Manchester District | ||||||||||
| Rochdale and Manchester, Rochdale District | ||||||||||
| Rochdale, Bamford and Bury | 7 miles 4 furlongs (12.1 km) | 1797 | 1866 | Lancs | Norden RoadBagslate Moor Road | |||||
| Salford to Wigan | 26 Geo II. c. 27 | 1753 | Lancs | |||||||
| Sharples and Hoghton | 10 miles 4 furlongs (16.9 km) (1848) | 3 (1852) | 41 Geo III. c. 123 | |||||||
| Standedge and Oldham | 10 miles 7 furlongs (17.5 km) | |||||||||
| Stretford to Manchester | 24 Geo II. c. 13 | 1751 | 1872 | Lancs | ||||||
| Sudden Bridge to Bury | 4 miles 6 furlongs (7.6 km) | 1797 | Lancs | |||||||
| Swinton District | 5 miles 2 furlongs (8.4 km) | |||||||||
| Warrington and Lower Irlam | 7 miles 5 furlongs (12.3 km) | |||||||||
| Warrington and Wigan | 11 miles 2 furlongs (18.1 km) | 13 Geo I. c. 10 | 1727 | Lancs | ||||||
| Radcliffe to Bolton & Bury | 6&7 Wm IV. c. 10 | 1836 | Lancs | |||||||
| Wigan and Preston, south of (River) Yarrow | 12 miles 6 furlongs (20.5 km) | 13 Geo I. c. 9 | 1727 | 1866-67 | Lancs | |||||
| Manchester and Buxton | 11 Geo. I c.13 | 1725 | 1860-75 | Lancs & Derbys | ||||||
| Stockport and Ashton | 5 Geo. III c.100 | 1765 | Lancs & Cheshire | |||||||
| Stockport and Warrington | 1 Geo. IV, c. 28 | 1820 | Lancs & Cheshire | |||||||
| Stockport and Warrington (Edgley Branch) | ||||||||||
| Wilmslow | 26 Geo II. | 1753 | 1881 | Lancs & Cheshire | B5167 B roads in Zone 5 of the Great Britain numbering scheme B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 5 :-Zone 5 :... |
|||||
| Worsley Trust |
Yorkshire
| Name | Interest | Income | Length (1848) | Main Gates | Side gates | Act | Year | date expired | county | modern road(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax to Littleborough | 33 Geo II. c. 48 | 1760 | Yorks & Lancs | |||||||
| Oldham and Ripponden | 16 miles 7 furlongs (27.2 km) | 35 Geo III. c. 137 | 1795 | Yorks & Lancs | ||||||
| Rochdale to Halifax and Elland | 8 Geo. II c. 7 | 1735 | 1872 | Yorks | ||||||
| Saddleworth to Oldham | 32 Geo III. c. 139 | 1792 | Yorks & Lancs |