Benchmarks from Long Compton to Stratford, Boundaries and Travel Bugs


And one on the ‘A34’ is shown as being in Gloucestershire – before various boundary changes?!


John Nicholls comments:

Between Alderminster and Stratford on Avon (why did so many ‘on’ places become ‘upon’?) the A34 actually passed through two ‘fingers’ of Glos.  See below:


Rob Caldicott says: I have attached a photo (below) of part of a 1785 map which shows the complicated interlock of counties here at the time. The Honington gate on the Stratford to Long Compton Turnpike was at the point where an ancient road from Kineton, Southam and Rugby met the turnpike. The Tollhouse is still there, with the National ID WA.TRE01 in the Milestone Soicety’s records: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6114540.

In December 1780 the Trust reported takings at the gates along the turnpike as:-  
Clifford Gate £24.11.7½
Stratford Gate £114.2.11¾
Honington Gate £90.4.0¾
Furzehill Gate £79.7.5¾
Long Compton Gate £73.19.9½

     
And here is one of the Kineton mileposts today, with one of our Geocaching Travel Bugs sitting happily on top, courtesy of Spunky Spider:

National ID: WA_BASFA13

2 thoughts on “Benchmarks from Long Compton to Stratford, Boundaries and Travel Bugs”

  1. I’ve checked out the complicated history of the area around the “seventh milemark from Shipston”. This is our WA_SFOX03. It’s situated at the junction of (now) A3400 and Preston Lane, at the south-western corner of Alscot Park. The parish boundary runs on the western side of the road, according to OS Explorer; so this probably makes the marker in the parish of Preston on Stour. Checking out Preston, it’s in the ancient county of Gloucs, Deerhurst Hundred, was in Marston Sicca RD, but transferred to Stratford RD, Warks, in 1931.

    The road itself is in the parish of Alderminster, which is in the ancient county of Worcs, Pershore Hundred, Shipston on Stour RD till 1931, transferred to Straford RD, Warks.

    This information was gleaned from http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk, a useful resource if a bit clunky.

    Unless we want to go further back than 1931, shall we include them both (and others further South, which might also be in historic Worcs) in Warks, and ignore Glos and Worcs for our purpose?

    At least, this explains the mentions of Worcs and Glos in the BM extract!

  2. In the database the TP gate locations are;
    Long Compton SP 28780 33230
    Clifford SP 206 534
    Stratford (Clopton Bridge) SP 20524 54891
    Newbold on Stour SP 24662 46323
    Furze Hill SP 259 398
    Honington SP 26055 42010

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