Highways Act 1750

The Highways Act 1750 was an act of the Parliament of [the United Kingdom] concerning the maintenance and management of public highways in England and Wales. It formed part of a sequence of 18th-century statutes intended to improve the condition of roads prior to the widespread use of turnpike trusts. The Act amended earlier highway legislation and sought to strengthen local administrative obligations for road upkeep.

Background

Road conditions in mid-18th-century Britain were governed primarily by the Highways Act 1555 and later amendments. Responsibility for repairs rested with parishes, which were required to provide labour and materials. By the early 1700s, this system was widely considered inefficient. Parliament introduced a series of reforms to increase compliance and clarify obligations, including the Highways Act 1715 and subsequent amendments. The 1750 Act continued this process by tightening enforcement and adjusting procedural requirements.

Provisions

Later developments

The Act was later superseded by later 18th-century reforms, including the Highways Act 1766 and Highways Act 1773, which continued restructuring parish-based road administration.