Milestone Approx 382M North-West Of Trelagossick Cottage

VERYAN

571/0/10002 A3078 11-NOV-10 (North side) Milestone approx 382m north-west of Tr elagossick Cottage

II DESCRIPTION: A milestone erected in 1762 by the Creed, Tregony and St Just Turnpike Trust. Granite. It is square in plan with a flat top and chamfered corners, and stands some 0.7m high by 0.3m wide. Painted white with black lettering, it is inscribed; ST MaWES/8/TReGONY/2 on the south face and RUAN/2 on the east face. An unpainted Ordnance Survey benchmark, partly buried, lies at the base of the Ruan face.

HISTORY: Historically roads were maintained by the parishes they passed through. Sometimes this proved beyond them, and in 1663 the first turnpike trust, was established, empowered to levy tolls towards the upkeep of a particular stretch of road. Initially there were few such trusts, but in the early C18 their number rose steeply; by 1750 most major roads had been turnpiked, and over the rest of the century and into the early C19 over 1000 turnpike trusts were established in all, the last in 1836. Milestones (along with toll houses, and rebuilt bridges and re-engineered sections of the roads themselves) are physical evidence of these trusts' activities.

From the mid-C18 onwards, turnpike trusts were encouraged to provide markers such as milestones and mileposts on the stretches of roads they operated. The Creed, Tregony and St Just Turnpike Trust was established by Act of Parliament in 1762 and this milestone stands on the former turnpike road between St Mawes and Tregony. The milestone is marked on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880. The milestones originally erected by the Trust were of the `tombstone' design being of a rectangular plan with semi-circular rounded heads and one dressed face. However, as this milestone was erected at the junction with the road to Ruan Lanihorne, a square stone was used so an inscription could be added to two faces.

SOURCES: Benford, M, Milestone, (2002)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The milestone approx 382m north-west of Trelagossick Cottage, on the north side of the A3078, at the junction with the road to Ruan Lanihorne, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Intactness: it is an intact milestone dating from 1762, which remains in its original position. * Group Value: it has group value with other designated milestones along this turnpike route. * Historical Association: it is a testament to the development of the turnpike system in Cornwall, particularly to facilitate transportation within a growing industrial landscape.