Ms Fidler, Thank you for the prompt reply. It is very much appreciated and answers my question Jim WARD MS USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Moira Fidler" <mofid42@tiscali.co.uk> To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 4:29 PM Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman > Hi Jim >>From the Dictionary of Old Trades. Titles and Occupations a Wayman is > described as a Surveyor of Highways. Also used to describe a shipwright > and/or platelayer who is working on a ship launch framework > > As Berkshire is a landlocked county, other than rivers and canals, I would > have thought the former description more likely > Hope that helps > regards > MOIRA >

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parish has a section on 'The responsibilities of the ecclesiastical parish's vestry' which is reasonably accurate. There were variations in the names given locally to various parish roles. As Brightwalton seems to have contained a part of the main road from Newbury to Wantage (now the B4494) as it climbed the southern side of the Berkshire Downs the role of wayman might have been quite important, even onerous. Chalk is quite a soft rock, and there is quite a shallow soil overlying it in that area. The effect of horse-drawn wheeled transport on chalk in wet conditions would have produced ruts in a sticky mess of a road surface. I assume that before the invention of tarmacadam it would have been necessary to gather flints to attempt to give a solid base for traffic. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=4514 gives you a few statistics about the parish of Brightwalton. The total number of houses in it, and the population density, give an idea of the area. Clicking on the map to find the Ordnance Survey first series map, which instead of contour lines has shading to indicate slopes, may also help visualise the location. Jeff (my wife's family were in Leckhampstead and Chaddleworth nearby) ----- Original Message ----- From: <jimone2@telepak.net> To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:33 PM Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman > Ms Fidler, > > Thank you for the prompt reply. It is very much appreciated and answers my > question > > Jim WARD > MS USA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Moira Fidler" <mofid42@tiscali.co.uk> > To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 4:29 PM > Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman > > >> Hi Jim >>>From the Dictionary of Old Trades. Titles and Occupations a Wayman is >> described as a Surveyor of Highways. Also used to describe a shipwright >> and/or platelayer who is working on a ship launch framework >> >> As Berkshire is a landlocked county, other than rivers and canals, I >> would >> have thought the former description more likely >> Hope that helps >> regards >> MOIRA >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

The Complete Parish Officer 1772 is available on CD from ArchiveCDBooks, which is now based in Ireland. I have no interest in that organisation. It is also available in paperback. This contains details of the duties of the Surveyor of Highways. A facsimile of the 1734 edition of The Compleat Parish Officer, published by Wiltshire Family History Society is available via 'The Family History Partnership'. Again I have no interest in the publishers or the online sales organisations through which it is available. I have not seen this one but presumably it covers the same details, based on an earlier version of the applicable laws. Jeff ----- Original Message ----- From: <jimone2@telepak.net> To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:33 PM Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman > Ms Fidler, > > Thank you for the prompt reply. It is very much appreciated and answers my > question > > Jim WARD > MS USA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Moira Fidler" <mofid42@tiscali.co.uk> > To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 4:29 PM > Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman > > >> Hi Jim >>>From the Dictionary of Old Trades. Titles and Occupations a Wayman is >> described as a Surveyor of Highways. Also used to describe a shipwright >> and/or platelayer who is working on a ship launch framework >> >> As Berkshire is a landlocked county, other than rivers and canals, I >> would >> have thought the former description more likely >> Hope that helps >> regards >> MOIRA >>

Hi Jeff and all, Thanks for all the general info about the old road services. I am particularly interested in the way roads changed in the early twentieth century. I remember road men mending pot holes, clearing ditches and cutting back overgrown hedgerows - all this in Leicestershire where a track named Coleman Road remained just a strip of grassland and then cinder track between Evington and North Evington from about 1880 to about 1960. The old Road (Way) Men were kept busy all the year round. Most road development took place in the first few years of the century as the motor car became accessible to more than just the very rich. First roads were topped with stones and later tar was sprayed on top. Gas tar became a sticky mess in high Summer and it was not until the mid thirties that asphalt was brought into general use and roads looked as they do today. White lines and cats eyes came in about this time. Nick Furniss. On Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:26:13 +0100, Jeff Coleman <Jeff.Coleman@ntlworld.com> wrote: > The Complete Parish Officer 1772 is available on CD from ArchiveCDBooks, > which is now based in Ireland. I have no interest in that organisation. > It > is also available in paperback. This contains details of the duties of > the > Surveyor of Highways. > > A facsimile of the 1734 edition of The Compleat Parish Officer, > published by > Wiltshire Family History Society is available via 'The Family History > Partnership'. Again I have no interest in the publishers or the online > sales > organisations through which it is available. I have not seen this one but > presumably it covers the same details, based on an earlier version of the > applicable laws. > > Jeff > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <jimone2@telepak.net> > To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:33 PM > Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman > > >> Ms Fidler, >> >> Thank you for the prompt reply. It is very much appreciated and answers >> my >> question >> >> Jim WARD >> MS USA >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Moira Fidler" <mofid42@tiscali.co.uk> >> To: <berkshire@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 4:29 PM >> Subject: Re: [BRK] Wayman >> >> >>> Hi Jim >>>> From the Dictionary of Old Trades. Titles and Occupations a Wayman is >>> described as a Surveyor of Highways. Also used to describe a shipwright >>> and/or platelayer who is working on a ship launch framework >>> >>> As Berkshire is a landlocked county, other than rivers and canals, I >>> would >>> have thought the former description more likely >>> Hope that helps >>> regards >>> MOIRA >>> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/