ABSTRACT
The Itineraries of medieval kings and bishops, court cases involving carriers, and fifteenth-century brokage books enable to build up a picture of journeys taken on roads that were, after the Conquest, in a better state than most of those in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The problems of maintaining an important medieval bridge can be illustrated by records from Rochester. The generally good condition of medieval main highways away from remoter areas can be judged by the use they had. The concept of the Peace relating to major highways, rivers and ports, was soon extended to those who travelled to fairs and markets. Local inhabitants regarded the highways as strips of land used by travellers in return for undisturbed possession of the adjacent fields. The rapid growth of towns in the twelfth century resulted in many charters laying down obligations regarding highways, causeways, rivers and bridges.
