ABSTRACT
THE first statute to deal with roads was the statute of Winchester, 1285. It placed the responsibility of keeping roads open on landowners, prescribed persons, or the inhabitants of a manor. Between 1350 and 1555 travelling diminished rather than increased. Between 1555 and 1698 a series of Acts were passed, which formed the basis of road maintenance organization for the King’s Highway. The system provided that a Surveyor of Highways be appointed in every parish, and that Justices of the Peace of divisions in which the parish was situated be held responsible for administration.
