Turnpike Roads

Turnpike Roads in Aberdeenshire

In the 18thC people used a Network of Paths & Tracks which in Modern times became known as Rights of Way.  Goods were usually carried on Horseback rather in Carts as the Surfaces were so Bad. Because Aberdeenshire was among the Last Counties in Britain to introduce Turnpike Roads, only the Latest Road making Practices should have been used in their Construction. This assumption is examined 1st by considering the Administration & Construction of Roads built previously in Aberdeenshire, the Topography of the County & the availability of suitable Local Materials.

Transport began to improve in the late-18thC when Landowners & Industrialists realised that their Incomes would only improve if Farm & Factory Produce could be sent to Markets in Quantity. So they began to Invest in Turnpike Trusts, which Built good quality Roads that could be used by Heavy Carts – & also by Stagecoaches which allowed Wealthy People, at least, to Travel. For the next half-Century, the Turnpike Roads played their part in keeping Traffic on the move. Then serious Competition arrived in the form of Railways which could Transport Goods & People much more cheaply & quickly. By 1866, Turnpike Tolls were Abolished & the Roads were taken over by Local Authorities.

The 1st 2-Lines of Modern Road across the Eastern Grampians were made by the Military. These are the Road from Brechin by Fettercairn, the Cairn o’ Mount & Potarch Bridge, to Alford, Clatt & Huntly, made about 1746; & the Road (named after General Wade) from the Spital of Glenshee, by Castleton of Braemar, Crathie, Gairn Shiel, Corgarff & Tomintoul, to the Spey near Grantown, finished in 1754. Such Roads as these, made by Soldiers, had a sort of special Recognition as the King’s Highways. A network of Military Roads, sometimes called General Wade’s Military Roads, was constructed in the Scottish Highlands during the middle part of the 18thC as part of an attempt by the British Government to bring Order to a part of the Country which had risen up in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. George I appointed Wade as Commander-in-Chief, North Britain. The 1st of 4-Roads whose Building Wade would Oversee, was under Construction by the following year;

  1. from Inverness to Fort William (along the South side of Loch Ness)
  2. from Dunkeld to Inverness via Pass of Drumochter
  3. from Crieff to the existing Road at Dalnacardoch by Aberfeldy & Tummel Bridge
  4. from Dalwhinnie to Fort Augustus via Corrieyairack Pass (and a Spur to Ruthven via Crubenbeg)

There is an interesting Chapter on Aberdeenshire Roads in Dr William Alexander’s “Notes & Sketches Illustrative of Northern Rural Life in the 18thC” (Edinburgh, 1877).
We learn from it that the Commissioners of Supply were Empowered by Statute in 1719 to call upon every Householder to give 6-Days Work in the year towards the Making & Maintenance of the Roads. The Statute Labour ” “was generally commuted for a modified Money Payment”: hence, no doubt, the familiar (but now unmeaning) Term, Commutation Roads. In Commuting, says Dr Alexander, they reckoned the Man’s Labour at 3d a Day. Thus, his 6-Days Statutory Work would amount to 18-pence. That was the sum at which they ordinarily let him off. As 9-pence was paid for a Road Labourer with some ‘Can’ in him & a little Heart to the Business, 2-Days’ Work was thus secured; so that the Sum exacted would seem to have been fairly equivalent to the Services that had been given. Directly after the Rebellion of 1745, Government Roads & Bridges for Wheeled Vehicles began to be systematically Engineered & Constructed, the Roads having a Hard bottom of Stones..

The Ordinary Roads, however, continued still to be of a very Primitive sort. In June, 1751, at the Aberdeen County Meeting, “Meldrum” produced a Letter from Lady Dowager of Forbes Representing that the Public Road ‘twixt Inverurie & Castle Forbes” is quite Impassible in several parts thereof, particularly that part ‘twixt Pittodery’s Dykes & Overhall , which is Dangerous to Pass, especially with Wheel Carriages: & that lately her Ladyship’s Chaise had stuck there & broke the Graith; & therefore Craving the Commissioners to allow her a share of the Highway Money for helping the Road & Power to call out the Country People to give their Assistance; which being considered the Meeting thought the Request of Lady Forbes just & reasonable.

“Turnpike” Roads were Introduced into Scotland in the Middle of the 18thC, the date of the Oldest Scottish Turnpike Act being 1750, but it was not till Close on the End of the Century that the System came North of the River Dee. A Draft Turnpike & Commutation Road Bill was Ordered to be Printed in 1794; & this Bill, which provided for the Levying of a Money Payment in Lieu of Statuto Labour, became an Act of Parliament in 1795. The Turnpike System came into Operation in Aberdeenshire 3-yrs after, by the Construction of the Deeside Turnpike in 1798. This was followed by the Ellon & Peterhead Turnpike in 1799. Most of the other Roads of this Class in the County were made during the 1st 24-yrs of the 19thC. Details are given in an Appendix to Dr Alexander’s Volume, from which the following is Extracted – In an Appendix to a Report prepared in 1863 for the Aberdeenshire Committee on Road Reform, by the late-George Marquis, Accountant, a List of the Turnpike Roads in the County of Aberdeen, in the Order in which they were Opened & the number Opened in each Decade after 1790 & other particulars, are given. The following figures are from Mr Marquis’s Statement:

Name of RoadYear When OpenedLength When OpenedMiles FurlongsYards
Deeside17981340
Ellon, Peterhead & Fraserburgh17995240
Inverurie 1800 15 4 0
Turriff 1802 20 60
Charleston 1802 16 6120
Gardensmill 180313 20
Oldmeldrum 180314 114
Skene18031740
Huntly18042200
Newburgh 1804111 209
Fyvie18067673
Echt & Midmar 180713 297
Longside 18071200
230 273
Alford1810840
New Pitsligo1810740
Cortiebrae18131200
Boyndlie18101053
3853
Bridge of Dee1821140
Buchan1821130191
Tarland1822110202
Insch and West Foudland18231400
Rynie18251041
Raemoir & Lumphanan182517122
Donside1826197117
Kintore & Alford182511217
Udny182811520
110210
Kennethmont18339171
Corgarff18336184
Shelagreen183511483
Strichen18377797
Inverurie & Forgue183922170
57065
Strichen & Fraserburgh184977102½
Kemnay185533167½
Total Length of Turnpike4474201

The first toll road was constructed along the north bank of the Dee, for a distance of 13 miles, and was completed in 1798.

Over the next 40-yrs, 17 Turnpike Roads were constructed along all the Radial Routes leading to Aberdeen.  These were (in roughly Clockwise – not Chronological order):

  • The North Deeside Road, through Cults, Peterculter, Banchory & Aboyne to Braemar (the present day A93 road).
  • Via Echt & Midmar to Tarland (present day A974), with a Branch from Garlogie to Kincardine O’Neil (B977) & another Branch from Skene to Alford (A944).  This Branch was later extended to Mossat & then (A97) by Glenkindie and Strathdon to join General Wade’s road at Corgarff (A939).
  • The Post Road, from Aberdeen to Inverness (A96).  Leaving Aberdeen by Bucksburn, Tyrebagger Hill, Blackburn, Kintore, Inverurie, Glens of Foudland & Huntly.  There were Branches from Huntly to Banff (A97) & to Portsoy (B9022).
  • The Strathbogie Road, from Huntly to Donside, via Gartly, Rhynie & Lumsden (A97), joining the Alford – Strathdon Road at Mossat.
  • The Insch & Kennethmont road (A979) which leaves the Huntly road near Pittodrie & goes via Oyne, Premnay, Insch & Kennethmont, joining the Strathbogie Road near to the Tap O’Noth.
  • The West Foudland Road (present day – unclassified), which leaves the Huntly Road at Bridge of Ledikin & goes by Insch & Dunnydeer to rejoin the Huntly Road at Sliach in Drumblade.
  • The Kintore to Alford Road, which leaves the Huntly road at Torryburn, Kintore & runs to Kemnay (B994), then via Cluny & Monymusk to Tillyfourie (B993), there joining the main Alford Road.  Also a Branch from Kemnay to Port Elphinstone (Inverurie).
  • The Inverurie to Forgue Road (B9001), which goes by Daviot, Wartle & Rothienorman to join the Huntly – Banff Road at Forgue.
  • The Aberdeen to Banff Road (A947), which leaves Aberdeen at Bucksburn, then via Dyce, NewMachar, Old Meldrum, Fyvie, Turriff & King Edward to Banff with a short Branch to Macduff.
  • The Old Meldrum to Colpy Road (B9000), via Wartle & Culsalmond to Colpy on the Main Huntly Road.
  • The Peterhead Road, leaving Aberdeen via Bridge of Don (A92), then via Belhelvie, Ellon, Birness & Cruden (A952) to Peterhead, with a Branch to Mintlaw (A950) & via Rathen to Fraserburgh (A92).
  • The Buchan Road, from Peterhead to Banff, via Longside, Mintlaw & New Pitsligo (A950), to Macduff (A98) & Banff.
  • From Peterhead to Fraserburgh, via St Fergus, Crimond, Lonmay & Rathen (A952).
  • the Boyndlie Road, from Fraserburgh via Tyrie & Aberdour (A98) joining the Buchan Road 2-miles North of New Pitsligo.
  • Fraserburgh to Strichen Road (A981) with a Branch to New Pitsligo (B9093).
  • Newburgh to Old Meldrum, via Foveran, Udny & Pitmedden (B9000).
  • The Udny & Tarves Road (B999) which leaves the Aberdeen – Ellon road at North Murcar & goes via Belhelvie, Whitecairns, Udny & Pitmedden to Tarves & Methlick.

When the Aberdeen – Inverness Road opened in 1820, a 4-Horse Stage Coach Served the Route, taking 18–hrs to complete the Journey (104-miles).

As can be seen by the present day Road Numbering, virtually all these Routes have Survived as Major Roads.  However, their existence as Toll Roads was less successful.   Although by 1857 there were 450-miles of Turnpikes & 84-Toll Gates, the Revenue never repaid the Original Outlay & the ongoing Maintenance.  The subsequent rapid expansion of the Railway Network altered the pattern of Road Usage, and by 1866 the Roads were brought under Public Ownership & the Toll Gates Dismantled.

The Total amount of Original Subscriptions for the foregoing 447-miles of Road £108,857 19s 3d, but this did not suffice for their Construction; preferable Subscriptions, or borrowed Monies, were needed in all but 6 or 7-Cases; & Adding these amounts, the Total Sums raised for Construction of Turnpike Roads in Aberdeenshire amounted to £176,678. The Total Debt upon the various Trusts (only 2-Roads, the Inverurie & Bridge of Dee being Free of such Burden) was no less than £409,433-9s-3d; & in 1863, the Estimated value of this large amount of Debt was, at 20-yrs Purchase, only £39,521-9s-6d, the Revenue being in many cases seriously affected by the Opening of Railway Lines. The average cost of Construction (calculating by the amounts raised) was £394 per mile.

About 1787-88 there were only 8-Post Towns in Aberdeenshire, viz. Ellon, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Kintore, Old Rain, Oldmeldrum, Turriff & Huntly. After the Establishment of the Mail Coach to Aberdeen, Post Offices were Opened at Banchory-Ternan, Kincardine O’Neil, Aboyne, Tullich, Tarland, Strathdon, Braemar, Old Deer, Mintlaw, Strichen, New Pitsligo, Keith-hall, Monymusk, Skene, Alford & Rhynie.