Statute Law Repeals - Law Commission - Ministry of Justice

11.9 The antiquity of these turnpike Acts is such that few have ever been given a
“short title” by which they can be cited. The various Chronological Tables of
Statutes 8 describe them by reference to their regnal year and chapter number,
and also by a short description of the geographical area to which they related.
For convenience, the Acts listed below are described by reference to the year in
which they were enacted and the geographical description supplied by the
Chronological Tables. The regnal year and chapter number of each Act is given
in footnote form.
GROUP 1 – GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE
11.10 The history of turnpikes in Gloucestershire began in 1697, with the third turnpike
road in England running over the Ermine Way or King’s Highway. However, it
was not until the 1720s that the two important roads to London came under the
turnpike system: the main road via Lechlade and Abingdon and a secondary
route (which became the main London coach road) via Crickley Road and
Oxford. This decade saw an explosion of turnpikes from Gloucester, with turnpike
trusts spreading west towards Ross-on-Wye, south towards Bristol and Bath, and
easterly to Painswick and Stroud. Later in the century the roads to Cheltenham
and Tewkesbury also came under turnpike trusts. 9
11.11 The turnpikes allowed increased industry and trade with London: the mail coach
ran six days a week by 1791. Throughout the 18 th century traders were able to
run wagons and coaches from Gloucester to London, via the Stroud Valleys and
Minchinhampton. This allowed Gloucester’s pin-making industry to flourish (worth
£20,000 per annum in 1770) and maintained the textile trade of woolstapling and
woolcombing. The coaching inns also benefited from the increased travel on the
roads.
11.12 By the start of the 19 th century, however, the turnpikes were under threat.
Applications were being made by railway companies for bridges over turnpike
roads. The rise of the railways as a quicker and cheaper means of transport left
the turnpike roads unable to compete. The turnpike roads were eventually
absorbed into highway districts and were mostly wound up by the 1870s.
11.13 The list of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire turnpike Acts proposed for repeal is
as follows: 10
Gloucestershire Roads Act of 1697 11 : expired 1718
Tewkesbury Roads Act of 1725 12 : expired 1747
8 Chronological Table of the Statutes 1235 to 2009 (for public general Acts); Chronological
Table of Local Legislation 1797 to 1994 (for local Acts); Chronological Table of Private and
Personal Acts 1539 to 1997 (for private Acts). Each of these tables is published by HMSO.
An updated version of the Tables of Local Legislation and of Private and Personal Acts is
also available on The National Archives website: legislation.gov.uk.
9 The turnpikes were not initially welcomed, however, with several occasions of violence
against the toll gate by Over Bridge on the western road during the 1730s. In 1734 a mob
destroyed all the toll gates on the approach to Gloucester.
10 Each Act is described in greater detail in the consultation paper Repeal of Turnpike Laws
on the Law Commission’s website. This can be viewed or downloaded at
www.lawcom.gov.uk via the link to Consultations > A – Z of consultations (Turnpikes).
11 9 Will.3 c.18.
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