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By the turn of the 18th century a solution to the problem was found by groups of landowners and other wealthy people agreeing to finance the improvement and resurfacing of
roads in return for the right to charge each user. For each stretch of road an Act of Parliament was required to authorise what became know as turnpike trusts. Between 1708-1750 more than 400 Road Acts
were passed.
Hungerford lies on both the east-west London to Bath road, and the north-south Oxford to Salisbury road. Both roads became turnpikes - the Speenhamland to Marlborough Turnpike
Act, and the Besselsleigh to Hungerford Turnpike Act.
The setting up of Turnpike Trusts all took many years, partly due to opposition from users who didn't wish to pay for improvements and from others with vested interests. There
were twelve Acts passed between 1707 and 1756 for improvements to the complete length of the road from London to Bath (via Chippenham) - and this for one of the country's busiest roads!
In rural west Berkshire and Wiltshire improvements came later than in towns. The road from Newbury to Marlborough, passing through Hungerford and Savernake was said to be so
dreadfully muddy that it was almost impassable in spring and autumn as well as in winter, and so narrow in places that coaches and carriages could not pass each other.
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The Speenhamland to Marlborough Turnpike:
An Act, the Speenhamland to Marlborough Turnpike Act, for repairing and widening this road was passed in 1726, but little seems to have been done to improve the road until a renewal act was obtained in 1744.
Until then an alternative route, known as the Ramsbury Narrow Way, continued to be well-used. This route split from the modern A4 east of Hungerford, passed along Radley
Bottom, Leverton, to Ramsbury, then from the west side of Ramsbury Manor along what is now named "Sound Bottom" on the OS maps.
It is marked clearly on Ogilby's map of 1670, part of which is shown on the right. Click the image for a higher quality image.
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The 1726 Speenhamland to Marlborough Trust included two Earls, a
Baron, a Viscount and four Baronets amongst its trustees, and the wording of their act made it clear that they intended to stand no nonsense from the peasantry! All persons who by law were
chargeable towards repairing the roads should remain chargeable and do their respective works as before they ought to have done, it said, and there was no mention of compounding.
When this trust was renewed in 1744, another clause was inserted saying that parish surveyors must bring lists of names of persons obliged to do statue work and that the
trustees would allot work as they saw fit. Each team of men and horses was to work three days a year and the fines imposed for each day of absence were three shillings for each horse and one shilling and
sixpence for each labourer.
Toll gates were set up as soon as each trust went into action, and often consisted of a temporary barrier until a proper gate had been made and erected. The gate-keeper too
might have to put up with a makeshift shelter until his cottage was built.
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Each
trust usually erected two main gates placed at strategic positions across their piece or road, but not necessarily at either end. Their aims were to catch as many travellers as possible and to try to
prevent them from taking alternative routes.
The Speenhamland to Marlborough Trust specified a gate on the section of road passing through the north of Kintbury parish, between the smith's shop and the lane leading to
Ramsbury (i.e. the old road through Radley Bottom and Leverton), but this gate was later moved a mile to the east into Welford parish near the Halfway House. This trust also had a gate about 1½ miles
west of Froxfield, near Harrow Farm.
The tollhouse near Halfway (about one mile east of the Kintbury crossroads) is thought to have been demolished in the 1960s.
Milestones are another potent reminder of the days of turnpike trusts. Each trust adopted its own style of milestone. They began to be erected in the
1740s. The adjacent photograph shows one of the Speenhamland to Marlborough Trust milestones near Hungerford.
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 "Ogilby 1670(a)(w)")
 "Halfway Turnpike(a)(w)")
 "eddington_30(w)")
 "Eddington Turnpike_OS1882")
 "charnham_03(w)")