Scotland in the nineteenth century

15. Transport

Section 15.8: Roads

"appointed for the purposes of an Act passed in the forty-third year of his present Majesty, entitled an Act for granting to his Majesty the sum of twenty thousand pounds, to be issued and applied towards making roads and building bridges in the Highlands of Scotland; and for enabling the proprietors of land in Scotland to charge their estates with a proportion of the expense of making and keeping in repair, roads and bridges in the Highlands of Scotland."

The Commissioners, appointed under the Highway (Scotland) Act, 1803, submitted a detailed report on the construction and repair work carried out on roads, bridges and harbours in the Highlands.

In their seventh report, the Commissioners outlined the enactments of the Military Roads, etc. (Scotland) Act, 1814. They reported on the works executed on roads, bridges and harbours in the Highlands during the previous two years.

Appendix (Sessional no. 205, 1815): Accounts and alphabetical list and description of the roads, bridges and harbours, giving measurements, dates and other particulars.

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The roads in Scotland which were constructed wholly or partially at the public expense were, first, those for the purpose of military communication and, second, those made at the joint expense of the public and of interested parties according to the provisions of the Highway (Scotland) Act, 1803. The need for military roads in the north of Scotland became evident during the rebellion of 1715 when royal troops could not penetrate further than Blair Atholl.

"the Select Committee to whom the report, plan, and estimate of a road from Carlisle to Glasgow, made by an Order of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, in the years 1814 and 1815, were referred ..."

The Committee reported on the state of the road between Carlisle and Glasgow, the proposed plan for improving it and the probability of its being carried into effect. The road was in such a bad state of repair that the mail was delayed and there was a high risk of accidents. As it was such an important line of communication, the Committee recommended that public aid should be given towards its improvement.

The appendix included a report by Thomas Telford following a survey he had made on the present state of the road, together with plans and estimates. He calculated that a sum of £76,758 was required.

"appointed for the purposes of an Act, passed in the 54th year of His present Majesty, (cap. 104), entitled an Act for maintaining and keeping in repair certain roads and bridges in Scotland, for the purposes of military communication, and for making more effectual provision for maintaining and repairing roads made and bridges built, in Scotland, under the authority of the Parliamentary Commissioners for Highland Roads and Bridges."

The first report of the Commissioners was contained in Appendix B of the Seventh report of the Commissioners for Roads and Bridges in the Highlands of Scotland. 1814-15. Vol. III, (Sessional no. 205).

The Commissioners submitted a report on the repair of parliamentary roads and bridges and military roads carried out since the passing of the Military Roads, etc. (Scotland) Act, 1814. They also discussed the difficulties in the Highland counties in levying assessments for the repair of roads and bridges according to the Act. The accounts of the Commissioners were included in the appendix.

Appendix: Accounts of the Commissioners for Highland Roads and Bridges.

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It was thought that more direct lines of communication should be provided between Edinburgh and Yorkshire. Mr. Telford stressed the importance of both of the proposed routes, one of which passed through Hexham and the other, about 20 miles further west, passed over Aldstone Moor.

Thomas Telford suggested a number of improvements which could be made to the road between Morpeth and Edinburgh to make it a more direct route and reduce the inclines. He included a table showing the comparative distances according to the existing road and the proposed route and estimates of road-making, fencing, bridges and the price of land.

"the Select Committee to whom the report and estimate of a proposed line of road from Morpeth by Wooler, both in the county of Northumberland, to the city of Edinburgh, made under the instructions of the Lords of His Majesty's Treasury, by Thomas Telford, civil engineer, were referred ..."

Mr. Telford gave evidence on the proposed line of road between Morpeth and Edinburgh. Other witnesses discussed the question of the post between London and Edinburgh, and the north east of Scotland. If the road was improved as Mr. Telford suggested, an additional mail coach from Newcastle would probably be provided. As this would be of great benefit to the inhabitants along the route, it was likely that they would he willing to contribute to the funds necessary for making the improvements on the Wooler road by payment of an additional postage on their letters. The tolls on the road should be increased and tolls levied on the new bridges to be erected at Coldstream and Morpeth to raise additional revenue.

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"appointed to take into consideration the state of the lines of road leading from the city of Glasgow to Ayr, and thence to Port-Patrick, to ascertain and consider the state of their revenue, debt, and expenditure and to consider how far it would be practicable, and advantageous to the public interest, to consolidate the revenue, expenditure and debts affecting the whole or any of such lines of communication from Scotland to Ireland ... and who were instructed to consider the propriety of the establishment of steam packets between Port-Patrick and Donaghadee ..."

The Committee considered the importance of communications between Scotland and Ireland. They had received petitions from the counties of Ayr and Wigtown, the borough of Stranraer and a group of merchants from Dublin stressing the need for improvement in communications between the two countries. Ideas under discussion included the establishment of a consolidated general trust on the roads leading from Glasgow to Port-Patrick and improvements in the postal service, in particular the establishment of a steam packet service between Scotland and Ireland.

The appendix included tables showing the amount of tolls, expenditure and debts of the road trusts and the length of passages of sailing packets carrying mail from Port-Patrick to Donaghadee.

The report of 1824 included a survey by Thomas Telford of the possible routes between Glasgow and Port-Patrick and these were included in the appendix (pp. 7-11). He recommended the coastal route from Girvan to Ballantrae.

Petitions were received from the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and various groups of merchants, bailles, freeholders, etc., from Glasgow, Wigtown and Ayr in favour of improved communication between Glasgow and Port-Patrick.

The report was concerned with the repairing of roads by parish trustees under their local Acts. The Committee were concerned that, despite the high rates, the roads were still in a poor condition.

The Committee were against a general Act to cover all the parishes but thought that trustees, where appointed, should be properly qualified. For the important roads not under Turnpike Acts, it was considered that the regions through which they ran should be divided up into districts while control over the Statute Labour Commutation Funds should in future be exercised by district not parish trustees.

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J.C. Colquhorn, a land owner from Dumbartonshire (pp. 1-4), thought that a more general management of the roads would be better than a number of different groups.

W.F. Lindsay Carnegie, a land owner in Forfarshire (pp. 88-171) gave evidence of farmers receiving money to build or repair roads without an inspection taking place. He thought that the roads in the districts should be classified according to importance.

Appendices 2-6: returns of sums levied and expended in lieu of statute labour (pp. 88-171).

"to enquire into the operation of the Highways Acts and to consider whether it may not he desirable to consolidate and amend the same."

The Committee found that there were more than 30 Acts in operation relating to highways. They discussed the relative benefits of the parochial system of managing roads, instituted by the Highway Act, 1835, and the district system outlined in the Highway Acts of 1862 and 1864. They concluded that no one uniform system could he adopted. They recommended that parishes should be grouped together for the purposes of road management and that the distinction between main roads and ordinary highways should be abolished.

The Committee examined the duties of the surveyor of highways. There were three classes of surveyors: parish surveyors: district surveyors and county surveyors. They also enquired into main roads, old highways, bridges, bicycles, bye-laws, the damage inflicted by locomotives and traction engines on roads in Scotland.

James Badenach Nicholson, a member of the Scottish bar (pp. 783-803), gave information to the Committee concerning the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act, 1878, which he had drawn up under the instructions of the Lord Advocate. This was a striking contract to English legislation on the same subject. The adoption of this Act was permissive until 1883. The roads within the county were vested in the county road authority and the burghs managed their own streets. A contribution was levied in certain cases from the large towns towards the expenses of maintaining the county roads. A county authority, which was partly representative, divided the county into districts, decided which roads should be public highways and therefore repairable by the rates, and approved the appointment of district surveyors. The Committee hoped that a similar system could be adopted in England.

The Committee also considered the question of the restoration of turnpike roads. John Alexander, the Chairman of the Forfar district (pp. 737-739) stated that there were was no distinction between turnpike roads and highways in Scotland. Turnpikes had been abolished by the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act, 1878.

The Committee also considered the possibility of making main roads a national charge or placing a tax on horses in order to relieve the ratepayers.