Peasemore Surveyors Accounts 1769 – 1795

Berkshire Records Office reference D/P 92 21/1

Also viewable on microfilm – ref MF199

Examined by Ross Kennedy 23rd Feb 2005-03-02

In this context, “Surveyor” means the Parish Surveyor of Highways, a statutory appointment with responsibilities for the roads within the parish.

The majority of the document is as would be expected, a record of accounts. Included are details of statute labour, highway rates levied, and expenses – which includes payments for labour. From this detail, it is interesting to note that some 10 to 20 man-days labour a week were expended on the parish roads between November and April each year. Little work was done outside that period, the labourers presumably having their usual employ upon the land. Some of the records detail the nature of the work, such as “stone picking”, and “work on the roads” usually without further specifics. Occasional notes of “mending wheelbarrow”. “Stone picking” work was often undertaken by women and girls, other entries suggest this task involved clearing stones from the fields for use as road materials. The farmer may have viewed this as a bonus, the parish paying people to improve his fields!

A few particular entries are of interest, giving more specifics :-

“14th Oct 1791

…

nb. The road between the Hannam Field and Ship Leys to be mended – for which purpose the stones in the Hannam Field to be used. Also the road between Mr. Stevens’s & Beddon Common to be repaired after the wood carriage is finished.”

Ship Leys can be identified as the modern Sheep Leaze – it looks a very different spelling but sounds very similar! The road in question is probably the modern Field Road, from the village to Sheep Leaze Lane.

Regarding the comment about the road to Beddon [Beedon] Common, we can surmise some timber extraction was taking place here.

“5th Feb 1796

…

John Stream1 dayTurn-back from Row-Down”

The term turn-back is open to speculation; I wonder if it may have been something to do with clearing silt from ditches and ‘turning it back’ with the spade onto the hedgerow base mound. The road referred to is probably the modern Peasemore Hill from the village, passing Rowdown Farm.

A gap occurs in the records from 1796-1836, before the listing of various activities resumes. By now, “breaking stones” appears as a regular task. Perhaps the incumbent Surveyor had taken on the engineering ideas of Telford et al, involving a layered structure for the better used roads which required the sorting (or manufacture) of differing sizes of stones.

A most interesting insert is a separate undated sheet. This may have been produced in response to the new Highways Act of 1835, which established a reference as to which highways were publicly maintained. Conceivably, it may be from some decades later, when further legislation allowed the creation of District Highways boards; it may be a form of report to a potential new board.

“The measure of Lengths of Roads in Peasemore Parish.

MilesFurlongs Feet

From Wm. Bews to Beedon Common-736

From the Down Road through Peasemore to Hayley Point122

From Hayley Point to the end of Mr. Palmers hedge at Lilley1520

From the Heath Road to Mell Green by Hannam Field-612

From the Wantage Road to Mrs. Cooks1016

From Eastley Lane to Thos. Graces0224

From Mitchell’s Corner to Freelands0523

From the Down Road to the end of road by Warren Down &c-737 ”

We can analyse this list to a large degree.

Identifiable places on the modern map include Beedon Common (WSW of the village), Mell Green (N extension to the village), Lilley (to the NW), Eastley (to the W). Hailey Lane & Copse lie to the NE, so Hayley Point could reasonably be assumed to be the 5-way crossroads with Old Street at the parish boundary.

Reference to the 1882 OS map shows Warrendown Row in the extreme south of the parish, by Chapel Wood. Also Freelands can be found, in what is now the large copse to the N of Mell Green.

Also plain on the 1882 OS map is the position of the parish boundaries to east and west ; Old Street lies outside the boundary to east ; the Wantage main road lies outside the boundary to the west. We’d thus expect these two not to feature in the list.

Study of local documents (such as Tithes) may give further clues regarding the local names.

The precise lengths given (important in calculations of maintenance liability) are of great use in confirming attempts to visualise the list onto a modern map. To rework the list with metric conversions (using 1 mile = 1600m approx, 1 furlong = 200m approx);

My ref / summary / metres
A / Wm.Bews - Beedon Common / 1420
B / Down Rd. – Peasemore – Hayley Point / 2025
C / Hayley Point – Mr.Palmers hedge at Lilley / 2630
D / Heath Road – Mell Green / 1205
E / Wantage Road – Mrs.Cooks / 1630
F / Eastley Lane – Thos.Graces / 405
G / Mitchell’s Corner - Freelands / 1005
H / Down Road – end of rd by Warren Down / 1410

I’ve attempted to interpret this list as a coloured overlay on a modern OS map. The grid squares on the map are at 1000m intervals.

Assumptions made include the locations of “Wm.Bews”, “Mrs.Cooks”, “Thos.Graces” – further study of other documents.

One surprise in this interpretation is the omission of Prince’s Lane.