OUR HIGHWAYS. 17 



repair, or in a dangerous state, the inhabitants of the 

 parish were liable to be indicted, and then, perhaps, 

 in addition to their ordinary highway rates, they 

 would have to pay all the fines and penalties arising 

 from the neglect of their obligation to keep their 

 road in proper condition. 



The chief distinction between highways and turnpike 

 roads was the payment of toll on the latter for the 

 purpose of their maintenance. The turnpike roads 

 were generally what are known as * main , roads,' 

 being on the principal thoroughfares from one town 

 to another, and where there was sufficient traffic 

 passing to pay the expenses of keeping turnpike-gate 

 men, repairing the road, etc., out of the tolls collected. 

 In the ordinary country roads and lanes through 

 villages off the main roads, the only means of raising 

 the requisite funds for repair necessarily was by rates 

 and, as above mentioned. Statute labour, which, how- 

 ever, was in fact only another mode of paying the 

 rate by composition in kind. 



That the amount raised annually for the mainten- 

 ance of the highways was a very important element 

 in the taxation of occupiers and owners of property 

 subject to the payment of highway rates, is obvious 

 from the circumstance that little more than forty 

 years since the length of parish highways was about 

 104,770 miles, and the expense of maintenance 



2 



