Honiton to Sidmouth Turnpike Road                   (updated 24th Sept 2013)

This trust, created in 1816, was responsible for a short section of road from the Lyme turnpike on Gittisham Hill, above Honiton, to the seaside resort of Sidmouth and for the other minor road into Sidmouth from the Lyme turnpike.

List of Acts

Honiton and Sidmouth

Gittisham to Sidmouth created

56 Geo3 c32

1816

 1838

Honiton and Sidmouth

Extended by continuation acts to Nov 1856

 

 

 

Honiton and Sidmouth

 

19&20 Vic c60

1856

 

Honiton and Sidmouth

Expired

41&42 Vic c62

1878

 Nov 1878

 

 

Sidmouth to Honiton 1816

An Act for repairing and improving the Road from the Lyme Turnpike Road in the Parish of Gittisham, to Sidmouth, in the County of Devon. [21st May 1816.]

the Road leading from the Lyme Turnpike Road at or near a Place called Brandy Corner, on Gittisham Hill, in the Parish of Gittisham, in the County of Devon, through the several Parishes of Sidbury, Salcombe Regis, and Sidmouth, to the Town of Sidmouth, in the County of Devon (including both the Branches of the said Road from Stephens Cross and Sidford to the Town of Sidmouth aforesaid) is very circuitous and hilly, and in many Places narrow and incommodious ; and the said Road cannot be effectually diverted, shortened, levelled, widened, amended, and kept in good Repair, by means of the Laws now in being for the Amendment and Preservation of the Public Highways ; but if the Course or Direction of certain Parts of the said Road were diverted and turned, so as to avoid steep and inconvenient Hills, and if the said Road were properly altered, levelled, widened, amended, and kept in Repair, it would facilitate and improve the Communication between the Towns of Honiton and Sidmouth and the adjoining Neighbourhood, and would be of public Utility :

 

Select Committee on State of Roads 1840

Christopher Flood and Philip Mules of Honiton (clerks to the trust) reported

There are 7 miles 3 furl 1ch of road thru 3 parishes – all repaired by the trustees;

3 toll gates and 3 side gates

The roads are stated to be in “tolerable repair” – no part under indictment for want of repair.

 

Report to Secretary of State 1856

BPP Vol. 58 (1856)- No. 3.—HONITON AND SIDMOUTH ROAD.

The original Act for this road (the 56th of Geo. III. cap. 32.), was passed in the year 1816, and its term would have expired with the session of 1838, but has been continued by the several Turnpike Acts Continuance Acts until the 1st day of November 1856.

 

The main road belonging to this Trust, is five miles and five furlongs in length, upon which there are two toll-gates and one side-bar. The branch roads are one mile and five furlongs in length, with one toll-gate thereon. The full rates of toll are levied {including extra tolls on Sundays,) but payment at one gate clears all the others. No part of the road is repaired by the parishes or townships.

 

The mortgage debt upon this road is £3.950, bearing interest at £5 per cent. The arrears of interest amounted to £276 10s. on the 31st of December 1854. No part of the principal has been paid off, although the original term of the Local Act expired several years ago.

 

The accounts show that the Toll Income has been reduced about one-half, and the funds being insufficient to meet the annual expenditure for repairing the road, salaries, management, and interest of the debt, the arrears of interest since 1852 have been gradually increasing. In former years some irregularities occurred in the accounts. No return for 1847 was transmitted, and the present clerks state that they are unable to supply a copy; while the return for 1848 contained an item of expenditure, " loss by the failure of the Honiton Bank, £166 1s 9d." The present clerks state that the sum of £189 l0s 5d. was due from the bank when it failed, and that two dividends of £28 s. 6d. and £16.11s. 8d have been since received, showing a loss of £14, 10s. 3d., but it does not appear that any steps, under section 12 of the existing Act, were taken to recover the balance.

 

In October 1854, the Trustees, in consequence of a circular from the Secretary of State, resolved to take the necessary preliminary steps to obtain a Provisional Order. At the same date a representation was made on behalf of creditors owning £1,000 of the debt, to the effect that they would consent to reduce the interest to £4 per cent, provided the Trustees would call on the parishes to repair the road, so as to afford some assurance that the reduced interest would be regularly paid. It was also stated that the expenses of management amounted to about 12.5 per cent, on the Toll Income; that it would be impossible to pay the interest with regularity unless the expenditure were reduced, or the repairs thrown on the parishes through which the road passed; and that the Trustees had spent part of the money in improvements which ought to have gone to the creditors. In conclusion, the question was raised on behalf of the creditors, whether the Trustees were justified in throwing on the parties who advanced their money to make the roads, the expense of also keeping them in repair— for the using the money to make the repairs, instead of paying the interest and throwing the repairs on the parishes, would have this consequence." The consideration of these statements was reserved until a formal application was made by the Trustees; but on the 15th of March 1855 the clerks transmitted the following resolution:— " That the Trustees, being unable to succeed in obtaining the consents of two-thirds in value of the mortgagees, are thus prevented from reducing the rate of interest, and extinguishing the arrears of interest on the mortgage debts; and that, as they can foresee no probability of an increase to their income as arising from tolls, they cannot but regret this result."

 

No arrangement having been made with the creditors, the Local Act was excepted in the Continuance Act of the last session, and in September 1855 communications on the subject were received from Mr. Loscombe of Andover, on behalf of some of the creditors, and from the clerks to the Trustees. As it has been found impossible to arrange any satisfactory terms, it appears necessary to give extracts from the statements of both parties. On the part of the creditors the following observations were made: —

 

" The Trustees have so managed the affairs of the Trust as to allow the " interest to get in arrear, and they now seek to take advantage of that state of things to reduce the debt due to the bond holders and to accomplish a reduction in the rate of interest. The usual and proper course for the Trustees to take would be to throw the repairs on the parishes, so much benefited by the making of the road at the expense of the bondholders, and thus give to the bondholders the security held out to them by the Legislature. I offered for Miss Loscombes to abandon the arrears and accept a reduced rate of interest, provided the Trustees would pledge themselves to call upon the parishes to do the repairs, and so enable them, the Trustees, punctually to pay the lower rate of interest. This offer was declined and I was wholely unable to elicit any explanation why the bondholders on this particular Trust should be deprived of part of their security by the act of the Trustees in screening the parishes to the injury and loss of the bondholders.

The account furnished by the Trustees shows that they will be unable to pay the reduced rate of interest they offered unless the repairs were partially thrown on the parishes."

 

In reply to the above statement, Sir George Grey recommended the mortgagees to confer with the Trustees, in order, if possible, to effect some arrangement by which alone the expenses of renewing the Act could be prevented. As to the repair of the road, it was suggested that the parishes might be induced to assist, if there were a prospect of the Trust Debt being paid off, which would be of advantage to the parishes.

 

List of Roads

Sidmouth Road; A375 from Sidmouth, through Sidford to Brandy Corner on Gittisham Hill at junction with old Lyme Regis to Ottery road (now Hare and Hounds). (about 5.5 miles)

Stephen's Cross Road; The UC road along the east bank of the Sid from Sidmouth, over Sidmouth Bridge to the Blue Ball (Stephen’s Cross) (about 1.5 miles)

Salcombe Road; UC road from bridge up Salcombe Hill to jct with A3052 at Trow

 

Click here for a map of Devon Turnpike Roads

Click here to return to Turnpikes Home

 

Return to Turnpikes in Devon general page

 

Text Box: Click here for a map of Sidmouth tollhouse sites 


Sidbury Milestone Typical Sidmouth Tombstone type milestone. This one is in Sidbury

 


Known Toll Gates (extracts from Tollhouse National database) 4 sites identified of the 3 (plus 3 side gates) reported by the trust in 1840  (2 surviving tollhouse - underlined)

Road Classification Number

Route

GATE NAME

OS Grid Ref- Prefi

Easting

Northing

District

Civil Parish

Location (Name or Number)

Road or Street (see across)

Position

Evidence

Revised 23rd Sept 2013

erected by (Turnpike Trust or Authority)

Bibliographic refs

UC road

Sidmouth to Salcombe Regis

Salcombe

SY

12792

87821

DVED

SIDMOUTH

The Old Toll House

Salcombe Road

eastern end of bridge over River Sid, beside park and opp. Millford Road

; ; Toll adverts 1836, 44, 47, 50; postcard

Honiton and Sidmouth

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.99; 1861 census

A375

Honiton to Sidmouth

Cockell's Cross

SY

14285

92464

DVED

SIDMOUTH

Sand Cottage, Cotford Road jct with Sand Lane, Cotford

in the Y with old Honiton Road towards Sand

J Kanefsky found this in Tithe Award (occ. in 1861 by William Pinn)

; ; Toll adverts 1836, 44, 47, 50;

Honiton and Sidmouth

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.100; 1841 census

A375

Honiton to Sidmouth

Brickyard (sidegate)

SY

133

900

DVED

SIDMOUTH

Sidford

original gate was between Dowells Cross and Yard but moved to between Yardwater and the town in 1818 EFP advert.

; ; ;

Honiton and Sidmouth

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.99; 1871 census

A375

Honiton to Sidmouth

Pound

SY

128

885

DVED

SIDMOUTH

Temple Street, jct with Winslade Road

original gate was between Dowells Cross and Yard but moved to between Yardwater and the town in 1818 EFP advert.

; ; Toll adverts 1836, 44, 47, 50;

Honiton and Sidmouth

Jenkinson T. & Taylor P. (2010), "The Toll-houses of North Devon", p.101; 1841 census

 

Known Milestones

In the Milestone Society Database, 2 milestones are identified on the A375,  – most in a design known as Sidmouth stone. Based on the Trust mileage in 1840, would expect 7.

Mentions in Exeter Flying Post

 (excluding notices of meetings and letting of tolls)

meeting re siting gates

02-Apr

1818

meeting re siting gates

23-Sep

1824

meeting re abolition of tolls

20-Jun

1877