Gateshead to Hexham Road

In 1663 an Act of Parliament was passed to permit parishes responsible for roads wthat passed through them to collect money from travellers to be spent on the upkeep of the roads. The roads were called Turnpikes owing to the fact that a pole or pike, resting on a central post was put across the road and swung round when the toll was paid to allow the traffic through. The Gateshead - Hexham Turnpike, constructed in 1776/7, came from Gateshead via the bridge at Swalwell, to the brickworks at Blaydon Burn, from where it ran up Summerhill Bank to Path Head and then onto Ryton. Typical tolls would be 1/2d for pedestrians, 2s for vehicles drawn by six horses, 9d for vehicles drawn by two horses, and 3d per score for every drove of cows, hogs, goats or sheep. People travelling to church on Sundays were exempt from charges, also when travelling to funerals or visiting the sick. There were nine toll bars on the Gateshead - Hexham Turnpike, including one at Crawcrook (HER ref. 3300). The road left the county at Stanleyburn Bridge (HER ref. 3627).