30 History of Inland Transport 



particular highways were passed, a lord of the manor in Kent, 

 and another in Sussex, being empowered to construct certain 

 new roads, at their own expense, and then enclose the old 

 ones for which the new would be substituted ; but the Act of 

 2 and 3 Philip and Mary c. 8, passed in 1555, was the first 

 Highway Act in this country which applied to roads in general. 



" Commerce," says Macpherson, " beginning to increase 

 considerably in the reign of Queen Mary, and the old roads 

 being much more frequented by heavy carriages " (a term 

 applied at this time to wheeled vehicles of any description), 

 the Act was passed with a view to securing a much-needed 

 improvement. After declaring, in a preamble, that the roads 

 had become " both very noisome and tedious to travel in 

 and dangerous to all passengers and carriages," the Act directed 

 that constables and churchwardens in every parish should, 

 during Easter week in each year, " call together a number 

 of the parochians " and choose two honest persons to serve 

 for twelve months as surveyors and orderers of works for 

 amending parish highways leading to any market town. 

 These surveyors were authorised to require occupiers of land 

 to attend each Midsummer with wains, or carts, in proportion 

 to their holdings, such carts being furnished, after the custom 

 of the country, with oxen, horses or other cattle and necessaries, 

 and to be in charge of two able men. All other householders, 

 cottagers and labourers, able to work and not being servants 

 hired by the year, were to furnish work in their own persons, 

 or by deputy, bringing with them " such shovels, spades, 

 pikes, mattocks and other tools and instruments as they 

 do make their own fences and ditches withall." Work was 

 to be carried on for four days, of eight hours each, unless 

 otherwise directed by the supervisors ; and constables and 

 churchwardens were " openly in the Church to give know- 

 ledge " of appointed days. Fines for default were to be 

 imposed at leets or quarter-sessions. 



This Act was to remain in operation for seven years. In 1562 

 it was continued by 5 Eliz. c. 13, which, in addition to giving 

 compulsory powers to obtain materials for road repairs, 

 increased the " statute " labour, as it came to be called, from 

 four to six days each year. 



This principle of compulsory labour on the roads was 

 subject to various modifications in regard to alternative 



