14 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



were conducted. I have been informed of what was 

 the origin of these trusts, viz. that when the land- 

 owners and other inhabitants of- certain districts 

 were desirous of improving the means of com- 

 munication between the towns, villages, and their 

 properties adjacent, they went for an Act of 

 Parliament, or employed the powers of the general 

 Turnpike Act. 



They agreed to make certain roads, hitherto 

 entirely maintained by the parishes through which 

 they ran, into more extended fields of operation, 

 and the then existing parish roads were widened, 

 straightened, and otherwise vastly improved. 



A ' trust ' was formed with a number of 

 gentlemen, chiefly of owners of land in the vicinity, 

 who were empowered to raise money, by loan, 

 to improve these highways, and to erect gates 

 or barriers across them at certain places, to 

 enable authorised persons to collect tolls from the 

 drivers of all carriages, horses, cattle, or other 

 animals passing through them, for the formation and 

 maintenance of the roads included in the said trust. 

 In general, these tolls were annually let by a species 

 of public auction to the highest bidders, who were 

 accepted if they were prepared to adhere to the 

 conditions submitted to them. The usual tolls 

 throuo'hout England and Wales were — for a horse 

 passing through the gates, ridden or led, i^d., but 

 if drawing any vehicle 4^^'., so that a gig or phaeton 

 with one horse paid 4^^., and a carriage with a pair 

 r)d., and so on. The imposition fell with particular 



