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of a township. In the Shuttleworth accounts, between 1588 
and 1620, there is frequent mention of the payment of fifteenths 
for the repair of bridges and highways to the constables of 
Burnley and Padiham. In the reign of Philip and Mary, we 
come to the statute (2 and 3 P. & M., ¢. 8), which recites that 
the highways were noisome and tedious to travel, and for the 
first time directed that the constables and churchwardens of 
every parish should yearly—on the Tuesday or Wednesday in 
Easter week—call together the parishioners and choose two 
honest persons to be supervisors (surveyors) of highways. Then 
the statute proceeds to enact that system of statute labour which 
was so long the means of the repairs of the highways, until its 
oppressiveness and its uselessness ended in its superscession by a 
better method of taxation. On four days in every year (it was 
afterwards increased to six) every person for every plough-land in 
the parish, and every other person keeping a draught or plough, 
was to send a wain or cart with oxen or horses and two able 
men, and every householder was to go himself or send an able 
substitute, and for eight hours on each of these four days the 
ways of the parish were to be amended by these persons, who 
were to bring with them the necessary tools. Statutes of 
Elizabeth followed in which this system was extended and 
amended. From the first the legislation must have been all but 
abortive, and the reasons are set forth in an account given by 
that shrewd contemporary writer, Wm. Harrison. In his 
description of Britain, he says, ‘‘ Now to speake generallie of our 
common highwaies through the English part of the Le (for of 
the rest I can saie nothing) you shall understand that in the 
claie or cledgie soile they are often verie deepe and troublesome 
in the winter halfe. Wherfore by authoritie of Parlement an 
order is taken for their yearlie amendment, whereby all sorts of 
the common people doo imploie their travell (i.e., work) for six 
daies in summer upon the same. And albeit that the intent of 
the statute is verie profitable for the reparations of the decaied 
places, yet the rich doo so cancell their portions, and the poor 
so loiter in their labours, that of all the six, scarcelie two good 
daies worke are well performed and accomplished in a parish on 
these so necessarie affaires. Besides this, such as have land 
lieing upon the sides of the waies, doo utterlie neglect to dich 
and scowre their draines and watercourses, for better avoidance 
of the winter waters, whereby the streets doo grow to be much 
more gulled than before, and thereby very noisome for such as 
travell by the same. Sometimes also, and that verie often, 
these daies works are not imploied upon those waies that lead 
from market to market, but each surveior amendeth such 
by-plots and lanes as seeme best for his owne commoditie, and 
more easie passage unto his fields and pastures.’’ Then he holds 
