Turnpike Trusts
Turnpike roads were roads funded by the collection of tolls at toll bars or turnpikes, as they were also known. Local landowners would obtain an act of parliament to establish a trust for specific roads (either existing or proposed). The trustees appointed would be empowered to borrow money, impose tolls, maintain roads and build new ones for a fixed period which could then be renewed by a further local act. The first such act in Scotland was in 1713 but they did not become widespread until the 1750s.[1] The Turnpike Roads (Scotland) Act 1831 standardised the powers and functions of turnpike trusts.[2] They were empowered to raise subscriptions and to erect, remove and replace toll bars and houses and purchase land for road improvements, and were required to erect milestones and direction posts. Turnpike trusts were usually financed partly by tolls, partly by a share of the statute labour conversion money for the county (if it still existed), but also by heavy borrowing on the security of future income from tolls.
Within a single county, there could be many different turnpike trusts, in some cases operating a single road or section of a road. Other roads were maintained by statute labour trustees. In the 19th century, counties began to obtain local acts of parliament abolishing turnpike trusts and statute labour trusts and creating a single county road trust to assume responsibility for all the roads in the landward area.[3]
Turnpike road trusts were abolished between 1878 and 1883 as the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act 1878 came into force.[4] This act replaced all the former roads authorities in landward areas, including the turnpike trusts, with a single county road trust for each county.
Records of turnpike road trusts are mainly held by local authority archives services, but some are held by the National Records of Scotland (reference codes CO).
Compilers: SCAN contributors (2000). Editor: Elspeth Reid (2021)
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References
[1] Report of the Commissioners for inquiring into matters relating to public roads in Scotland (Murray & Gibb/HMSO, 1859) pp. xiv-xvi.
[2] An Act for upholding and repairing the bridges and highways in the county of Edinburgh 1713 (12 Anne c.x); Turnpike Roads (Scotland) Act 1831 (1 & 2 Will. IV c.43).
[3] Report of the Commissioners for inquiring into matters relating to public roads in Scotland (Murray & Gibb/HMSO, 1859) p. xvi.
[4] Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c.51).