Statute Labour Trusts
In 1669 an act of parliament introduced the system of unpaid, compulsory labour (or ‘statute labour’) for roads maintenance.[1] Justices of the peace were to require ‘all tennents and coatters [cottars] and their servants’ to work on the public roads for a fixed number of days each year. The maximum duration of statute labour was 6 days per annum, usually done after the harvest and it could involve working a considerable distance from home, particularly in the highland counties. From 1686 the commissioners of supply were made jointly responsible with the justices of the peace for implementing this system.[2] However, it was inefficient, relying on unskilled labour, and normally without expert supervision.
To remedy the defects of personal statute labour, counties or smaller areas obtained local acts of parliament for its abolition and the appointment of bodies of ‘statute labour trustees’.[3] The trustees would impose a local tax (‘statute labour conversion money’) and spend the proceeds on road maintenance. The Highways etc (Scotland) Act 1845 standardised the system and allowed it to be applied generally.[4] Under this Act, trustees (including justices of the peace) were required to meet, keep minutes and accounts, and were given various powers to make and maintain statute labour roads.
Statute labour trusts were only responsible for statute labour roads. Other public roads were built or maintained using turnpike trusts or other means. The proliferation of different authorities acting under different legislation became confusing and inconvenient and in the nineteenth century counties began to obtain local acts of parliament abolishing personal service on the roads (if it still existed), conversion money and turnpikes, and creating a single county road trust to assume responsibility for all the roads in the landward area. This system of county road trusts was made general by the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act 1878, and, amongst other provisions, all remaining statute labour trusts were consequently abolished by 1 June 1883.[5]
Records of statute labour trusts can be found in local authority archives. A few are held by the National Records of Scotland (reference codes CO).
Compilers: SCAN contributors (2000). Editor: Elspeth Reid (2021)
Related Knowledge Base entries
References
[1] Act for repairing highways and bridges, 1669. The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707,[RPS] ed. by K.M. Brown and others (University of St Andrews, 2007-2021), 1669/10/53 <http://rps.ac.uk/trans/1669/10/53> [accessed 24 May 2021].
[2] Act anent highways and bridges, 1686. RPS 1686/4/28 <http://rps.ac.uk/trans/1686/4/28> [accessed 24 May 2021].
[3] Report of the Commissioners for inquiring into matters relating to public roads in Scotland (Murray & Gibb/HMSO, 1859) p. xii.
[4] Highways etc (Scotland) Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c.41).
[5] Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c.51).