THE OLD COACHING ROADS. 5.3 



on the borders of Middlesex and Surrey, situate on 

 the banks of the Eiver Thames, and adjacent to one 

 of the main-roads to the West of England. The 

 actual property referred to was no other than the 

 toll-house at the end of Staines Bridge, on the left- 

 hand side as you go from Staines to Egham. 



When the Exeter 'Defiance/ one of Mrs. Ann 

 Nelson's coaches, from the Bull Inn, Aldgate, went 

 through the gate at Staines, all the tolls at the gates 

 below that were paid by the guard every Monday, 

 amounting to about thirty pounds. It so happened 

 that the keeper of the gate near Ilchester had got in 

 arrear with his payments to the trustees, and accord- 

 ingly their clerk served a notice on the guard of the 

 coach not to pay him any more tolls. The gate-keeper 

 being aware of this, by way of availing himself of the 

 most efi"ective weapon for counteracting the practical 

 carrying out of the clerk's notice, shut the gate before 

 the time for the arrival of the coach. When the 

 guard came in sight of the gate, which, somewhat 

 to his surprise at so unusual a circumstance, was 

 closed, he blew the horn, but all to no purpose; 

 the gate remained shut, the pike-keeper refusing to 

 open it until the tolls for the week which were then 

 due were paid. The guard refused to pay, but ten- 

 dered three shillings, being the amount for the coach 

 on that day. Eventually the coach was allowed to 



