Foiling invaders: waymarkers at war
In 1939, with war looming, an Emergency Powers (Defence) Act was passed enabling the government to make orders as the need arose for the defence …
Month: August 2021
Highways Acts: a brief summary
The first Act of Parliament relating to roads was in 1555, and they have followed thick and fast ever since. This is a brief list …
The Earby stoop
Earby, a small town in the north-west of the old West Riding, boasts an interesting and rare old guide-stoop. It was probably put up early …
Guide-stones of the West Riding
Guide-stones (or stoops as they are often called in Yorkshire, from an old Norse word for a post) are equivalent of today’s signposts. They came …
Wayside and other crosses
All over the country, in towns and villages, and even in the middle of nowhere, you may encounter crosses – usually on a pedestal, some …
Divisions of townships
The north of England had some huge parishes, such as Rochdale (which included part of Yorkshire) and Halifax. So big that for practical purposes they …
More road history websites
The Internet has huge numbers of websites, or sections of websites, devoted to the history of roads – often created by local enthusiasts. Here are …
Replacing a lost Brayshaw & Booth milestone
The A643 starts at Junction 23 of the M62, runs parallel with it for a few miles and then descends into Brighouse. When it was …
Mastiles Lane and wayside crosses around Malham
Mastiles Lane was a mediaeval track forming part of a road system connecting Fountains Abbey with its lands in the Dales and the Lake District. …