The Rotherham - Pleasley (Mansfield) Turnpike Road

Ancient Highway to Turnpike Road

By Malcolm Marples

Turnpike Road

In 1706 Parliament created the first Turnpike Trust, allowing toll charges for using a road. Turnpikes were seen as successful and by the later part of the 1700s they became extremely popular.

Turnpike roads were introduced as a means of raising funds, allowing local people to collect from anybody, and everything who used the road. e.g. All travellers, cattle, coaches, and carts etc. The money was used to maintain and considerably improve the road surface, which significantly reduced travelling times.

 

One of these Turnpike Trusts, created by an Act of Parliament in 1764, was part of the London to Richmond ancient highway between Rotherham and Pleasley, and the Toll for this road was;

 

Not all everyone had to pay Tolls (depending on individual Acts) for example Mail Coaches were exempt; along with Royal Family, Soldiers in uniform, Parsons on parish duty, Funeral processions, and prison carts.

Why to Pleasley and not Mansfield when the 1st Mile Marker clearly shows the distances between College Square, Rotherham and Town Hall, Mansfield? The answer is that the road between Mansfield and Pleasley already existed as part of the Turnpike Road from Mansfield to Chesterfield created previously in 1758-59.

The Rotherham to Pleasley followed the route of one of the ancient highways to the north as we follow its route from Pleasley, via New Houghton, Clowne, Wales, Aughton, and Whiston into Rotherham.

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The evidence still exits of the Turnpike era on the Yorkshire side of the Route with a number the original mileage markers surviving at the roadside. (Why do no mileage markers exist in Nottinghamshire?).

 

Exiting street names also provide purpose of the route.

Rotherham	Moorgate(Mansfield Road links Moorgate to Westgate which leads to the town centre)
Whiston	Pleasley Road
Aston-cum-Aughton	Pleasley Road & Mansfield Road
Wales	Mansfield Road
Clowne	Rotherham Road & North Road(is North Road related to the original ancient highway to the north)
Houghton	Rotherham Road

 

This Highway and Turnpike Roads would have been a busy time for the many Coaching Inns of Mansfield, such as the Swan & Eclipse.

In many areas Toll Houses still survive, but non exist as far as I am aware for the Pleasley - Rotherham Road. Mansfield also had connections to other Turnpike Roads is there any information on these?

 

Other Local Turnpike Roads

Mansfield to;

1758~1878	Chesterfield
1763~1876	Alfreton	Huthwaite; Sutton-in-Ashfield
1763~1875	Derby	Eastwood; Nuthall
1764~1874	Rotherham	This Turnpike began at Pleasley as the Mansfield to Chesterfield Turnpike via Pleasly already exited
1765~1880	Kelstedge	(From Little Robins nr Mansfield)
1787~1877	Nottingham
1822~1877	Worksop
	Tibshelf