Description

PROBUS

1146/0/10011 OLD A390, NOW BY-PASS
11-NOV-10 (North side)
Milestone approx 74m south-west of res
ervoir

II
A mid-C18 milestone.

DESCRIPTION:
The milestone dates from 1754 and is of stone. It is rectangular in plan, with a cylindrical, rounded top. It stands approximately 0.84m high, and is inscribed with the letters FROM TRURO 6 MILES which are picked out in black paint. The milestone is painted white. There is a partly erased benchmark at the base of the stone, and a bench mark and metal pin at the top.

HISTORY:
Historically roads were maintained by the parishes they passed through. Sometimes this proved beyond them, and in 1663 the first turnpike trust (a pike - a billhook-like weapon - was sometime used to bar access down a road; turning it allowed access), 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 Truro Turnpike Trust was established by Act of Parliament in 1754, and this milestone stands on the former turnpike road between Truro to Grampound. The milestone is one of four original stones along this stretch of road. Later, in 1828, the turnpike was diverted, however, the milestones were left in situ. It is marked on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1907.

Reasons for Designation:
The milestone approx 74m south-west of reservoir, Probus, is recommended for designation at Grade II.
* Intactness: It is an intact milestone dating from 1754, with lettering, which remains in its original position.
* Group Value: it has group value with other milestones along this turnpike route.
* Historic Interest: it testifies to the great wave of C18 road improvement, undertaken by Turnpike Trusts.

Reasons for Listing

The milestone approx 74m south-west of reservoir, Probus, is designated at Grade II.
* Intactness: it is an intact milestone dating from 1754, with lettering, which remains in its original position.
* Group Value: it has group value with other milestones along this turnpike route.
* Historic Interest: it testifies to the great wave of C18 road improvement, undertaken by Turnpike Trusts.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26674970

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6