Changes to the Roads & Lanes of the Village

How the roads of the village have changed over the years - 1
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The National Picture

Before we consider the changes to the road and lanes of the village we need to look at the wider picture of the state of road across England. By the 16th Century the roads throughout the country were in poor condition: quagmires of mud in winter and rutted dust trails in summer. Travel, even over a short distance, was very time consuming, uncomfortable and hazardous.


At that time it was the responsibility of each parish to maintain the roads in their area but it was often beyond their resources to meet their obligations. To address this, during the 1700s, many of the major roads of the country were Turnpiked: in effect they were privatised. The roads were then run by Turnpike Trusts. Gates were erected across the roads and fees were charged to allow road users to pass. Those fees were then used to pay the wages of the toll collectors and to maintain the roads.


Often the road surface would be improved thus encouraging more people to use the better road. For example in the early 1800s, Scottish surveyor, John McAdam, promoted a new form of road construction using a road crust of small stones that would protect the soil underneath from water and wear. 


The action of the wagons passing over the road would cause the broken stone to combine with its own angles, merging into a level, solid surface that would withstand weather or traffic.


Obviously road improvements on this scale were expensive and the Turnpike Trusts could borrow money against future tolls to pay for this work.


By the mid-1800s, with the advent of the railways the volume of traffic using the roads had dropped considerably and many of the Turnpike Trusts were falling into debt. In 1888 The Local Government Act brought about the formation of the County Councils and the responsibility for maintaining the roads passed to these new authorities: the roads were effectively re-nationalised. The assets of the remaining Turnpike Trusts were sold and the debts paid at whatever rate in the pound the funds would allow.

The Turnpike Through Checkley.


The route between Newcastle-under-Lyme and Derby was one of the major commercial highways in Staffordshire and it was a significant stage coach route. In medieval times the route linked the Earl of Lancaster's castle at Tutbury with his 'New Castle' in the town which grew around it. As the Earls were also Lords of the Manor of Uttoxeter it was inevitable that Newcastle and Uttoxeter would have strong trading links making use of this road.

In 1759 a Private Act of Parliament (32 Geo.II c60) was granted ‘for the repairing of the road between Derby and Newcastle’ and as a result the Uttoxeter to Blythe Marsh Turnpike Trust was established. There were 4 toll gates on the 11 mile section of turnpike. They were at near the modern locations of The Parks at Uttoxeter, Waterloo Farm at Beamhurst, Near Fourtrees between Checkley and Lower Tean, and at Totmoslow near the junction of Cresswell Old Road.

Although Blythe Bridge is now used to describe the whole area, originally it referred to the bridge over the river Blythe near what is now Blythe Bridge station. Blythe Marsh was the area near the Duke of Wellington public house (now Tesco Express) and the turnpike ended at the junction of Uttoxeter Road and Cheadle Road.

This also became an important coaching route. Long distance coaches from Manchester to Birmingham joined the Blythe Marsh Turnpike at Tean and travelled along it to the rest halt at the White Hart in Uttoxeter.

At this time travellers coming from Uttoxeter would get to Deadman’s Green and then the road swung to the left down the narrow and winding Old Road into the village of Checkley, past the Red Lion and the church and it would turn left at the top of Church Lane to follow the line of the current road towards Tean.

In 1822 a new section of turnpike road was built to link Deadman’s Green directly to the top of Church Lane thus avoiding the village and this of course is the route of the current main road, the A522. As far as can be established the turnpike roads through Checkley were never ‘McAdamised’.

Under the ‘General Turnpike Act’ of 1767 the Turnpike Trusts were directed to erect mile-stones on their roads and an example of one of these can be seen near Green Park at Deadman’s Green (see photograph). This one was made by I & F Thornewill at Burton on Trent in 1828. 

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