The Inclosure Act - Roads, Ways and Footpaths

By Alan Barclay

The Commissioners have set out and appointed…such public and private roads, ways, and footpaths, in, through, and over, the lands and grounds directed to be divided and inclosed…as are hereinafter particularly mentioned and described.

Before dealing with the actual allocations of land, the Award deals with all the roads, ways and footpaths, securing the public rights of way and specifying not only the roads themselves, but also their use and width.

Duties of Commissioners

  • to “set out, appoint, widen, or alter such Public and Private Roads, Ways, and Footpaths, Ditches, Mounds, Fences, Common Drains, Water Courses, Banks, Bridges, Gates, and Stiles, in, over, through, or upon, all or any of the Lands and Grounds (covered by the Act) as they in their Discretion shall think requisite”.
  • The width of all…roads and ways to be determined by the Commissioners.
  • All public carriage roads to be inclosed and fenced on both sides by the owners of the adjoining land.
  • There to be no gates across any public road.
  • No trees to be planted in roadside hedges or ditches less than 50 yards apart.
  • To appoint a Surveyor of Public Roads to secure the building and proper maintenance of public carriage roads.
  • The expenses of this work to be raised by the Commissioners by means of a proportionate levy on the landowners receiving allotments under the Act.
  • The work to be completed within two years.
  • Once all the above provisions have been created and confirmed, previously existing ways and footpaths shall cease to be legally or publicly accessible.
  • The Commissioners to set aside lands for Stone and Gravel as necessary for the making and repairing of all roads.

Seventeen roads are specified.

1.Road from Chipping Campden towards Mickleton and Aston:

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 60 feet…commencing at the north end of the town at “World’s End”…to the east corner of King Comb Ground (Aston Road).

2. Westington to Seven Wells Gate:

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 60 feet…commencing at the SW end of Westington Town Street…up Conduit Lane…thence into the Turnpike Road…near to the Cross Hands…and from thence after crossing the said road to a gate at the entrance into the parish of Broadway called Seven Wells Gate. (the B4081 across the A44 towards Snowshill).

3. Ebrington Road:

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet…proceeding from …near the Church…to the entrance into the parish of Ebrington at a place called Battle Bridge (Station Road to the far side of the level crossing).

4. Paxford Road:

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet…branching out of the last described road at …White Cross Way…and extending (to the parish boundary towards Paxford) (the B4035 to a point just past the railway bridge).

5. Westington to Dyer’s Lane

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet (Blind Lane).

6. Westington to Broad Campden and Draycott

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet…commencing at the east end of Westington Town Street and extending to…Broad Campden, and from thence…to a certain gate called Oxford Gate in the hamlet of Northwick (i.e. the parish boundary half-way between Broad Campden and Draycott) (Catbrook to Broad Campden to Draycott road).

7. Broad Campden to Blockley

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet…commencing at Broad Campden and extending…to a gate at, or near, the corner of Northwick Park (the road up the hill from Broad Campden towards Blockley as far as the parish boundary).

8. Broadway to Blockley

Public carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet…branching out of the Turnpike Road (A44) …near the corner of Upton Old Lane and passing thence in an eastward direction to the gate at the entrance into Upton Old Farm (now Upton Wold Farm) (close to the present road from A44 to Blockley – the parish boundary runs along a short stretch of this road before striking off across country).

9. Bridle road to Weston Hill

Public bridle road of the breadth of 10 feet…commencing…near to a place called Littleworth and extending to King Comb Lane near the entrance to Weston Common (Hoo Lane).

10. Backside of Chipping Campden

Private carriage and drift road of the breadth of 40 feet…commencing at Littleworth and extending to the road towards Mickleton near…the house …called “World’s End”…which road shall remain for the use and convenience of the owners and occupiers …of homesteads and lands adjoining the said road (Back Ends).

11. Oxford Gate and Pye Mill Road

A road of the breadth of 20 feet…connecting Oxford Gate (see 6 above) with Pye Mill (at Paxford) …which road shall remain first as a public bridle road, also as a private carriage road for the use and convenience of the owners and occupiers of lands within the hamlet of Paxford, and also as a private carriage and drift road for the use and convenience of the owners and occupiers of Pye Mill (now a public footpath following the parish boundary alongside the Marbrook).

12. Broad Campden to the Turnpike Road

A road of the breadth of 20 feet…commencing at the hamlet of Broad Campden and passing to the road leading from Conduit Lane to the Turnpike road…which shall remain as a public bridle road, and as a private carriage and drift road for the use and convenience of the owners and occupiers of lands within the hamlets of Broad Campden and Paxford. (the track which leads from opposite the Bakers Arms uphill to join the main road opposite Westington Quarry (part of the “Monarch’s Way footpath).

13. Public bridle road to Stow gate

A road of the breadth of 16 feet…branching off the Conduit Lane to Turnpike Road (at or near where 12 above joins it) …and passing (in a south-easterly direction past Campden Hill Farm) to a certain gate called Stow Gate at the entrance into Northwick Grounds (probably somewhere on Five Mile Drive) …which road shall remain as a public bridle road only.

14. Campden Ashes to Gloucester Road

A public bridle road of the breadth of 6 feet …extending in a northward direction from (Campden Ashes, near Spring Hill House) …to Gloucester Road at the bridle gate in the wall separating the hamlets of Broad Campden and Westington (it is difficult to identify this; possibly it ends at the parish boundary near Cross Hands).

15. Seven Wells gate over Westington Hill

A road of the breadth of 16 feet …commencing at Seven Wells Gate (see 2 above)(in a northerly direction) …to the Turnpike Road … which road shall remain as a public bridle road and as a private carriage road for the use and convenience of the owners and occupiers of the Seven Wells Farm. (corresponding to the footpath following the parish boundary from the Snowshill road northwards to the A44 just SW of the Fish Hill/Buckle Street junction).

16. Private road to stone pit

Private road of the breadth of 20 feet …serving the stone pit at Jewel’s Knap near Broad Campden on the Draycott road.

17. Private road of the breadth of 20 feet for the use of the owner of Pye Mill

Footpaths

“The Commissioners do …order and direct that the several footpaths leading into, through, and over, the several lands in and by the said Act directed to be divided and inclosed, shall be continued in  the same tracks in which the same have heretofore usually gone.”

No Comments

Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this page!

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.