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.
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 :
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.
BPP Vol. 58 (1856)- No. 3.—HONITON AND
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
" 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.
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
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Typical Sidmouth Tombstone type milestone. This one is in Sidbury
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 |
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.
(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 |