A1-The Great North Road
Scott-Giles chose this extract from Robert Southey's 1820 Life of Wesley about a Yorkshire road:
'VILE IMPOSITION OF TURNPIKES'
John Wesley probably paid more for turnpikes than any other man in England, for no other person travelled so much; and it rarely happened to him to go twice through the same gate in one day. Thus he felt the impost heavily, and, being a horseman, was not equally sensible of the benefit derived from it. This may account for his joining in what was at one time the popular cry. Writing, in 1770, he says, 'I was agreeably surprised to find the whole road from Thirsk to Stokesley, which used to be extremely bad, better than most turnpikes. The gentlemen had exerted themselves, and raised money enough to mend it effectually. So they have done for several hundred miles in Scotland, and throughout all Connaught, in Ireland. And so undoubtedly they might do throughout all England, without saddling the poor people with the vile imposition of turnpikes for ever. ROBERT SOUTHEY
©Biff Vernon 2002