Bridges Act 1530
Encyclopedia
The Bridges Act 1530 sometimes called the Statute of Bridges, was an Act of Parliament
of the Parliament of England
passed in 1531. It was intended to ensure the upkeep of bridge
s, which at the time were usually made of wood and required regular maintenance in order to keep them open.
Section I empowered Justices of the Peace to look into matters of broken bridge
s and to arrange for their repair or rebuilding by, or at the expense of, those who were responsible for their maintenance.
Under section II, in cases where those responsible could not be determined, the burden would fall on the inhabitants of the city or town the bridge was situated in; if it lay outside a town, then the burden would fall on the shire or riding as a whole.
Section III provided that in these cases, the Justices of the Peace were empowered to call before them the constable
s of every town and parish in the area responsible - in the absence of the constables, "two of the most honest inhabitants" would suffice - and, with their assent, assess and then tax every inhabitant for a reasonable sum to cover the cost of the work required. The Justices were to draw up a roll of all persons so taxed, and appoint two collectors
in every hundred
. The Justices were also given the power to appoint two surveyor
s to oversee the work, who would receive the money from the collectors.
The Bridges Act 1803 created some additional statutory provisions that had become necessary due to the effluence of time and events since the 1530 Act. This included giving statutory weight to the common law title of the key technical officials engaged for these functions by the Crown, namely, the 'County Surveyor' of the County responsible for the upkeep of subject bridges, and the roads over them for 100 yards past the ends of the bridge.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
passed in 1531. It was intended to ensure the upkeep of bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s, which at the time were usually made of wood and required regular maintenance in order to keep them open.
Section I empowered Justices of the Peace to look into matters of broken bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s and to arrange for their repair or rebuilding by, or at the expense of, those who were responsible for their maintenance.
Under section II, in cases where those responsible could not be determined, the burden would fall on the inhabitants of the city or town the bridge was situated in; if it lay outside a town, then the burden would fall on the shire or riding as a whole.
Section III provided that in these cases, the Justices of the Peace were empowered to call before them the constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s of every town and parish in the area responsible - in the absence of the constables, "two of the most honest inhabitants" would suffice - and, with their assent, assess and then tax every inhabitant for a reasonable sum to cover the cost of the work required. The Justices were to draw up a roll of all persons so taxed, and appoint two collectors
Tax collector
A tax collector is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. Tax collectors are often portrayed in fiction as being evil, and in the modern world share a somewhat similar stereotype to that of lawyers....
in every hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
. The Justices were also given the power to appoint two surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
s to oversee the work, who would receive the money from the collectors.
The Bridges Act 1803 created some additional statutory provisions that had become necessary due to the effluence of time and events since the 1530 Act. This included giving statutory weight to the common law title of the key technical officials engaged for these functions by the Crown, namely, the 'County Surveyor' of the County responsible for the upkeep of subject bridges, and the roads over them for 100 yards past the ends of the bridge.
Other Reading
- Tudor Constitutional Documents, AD 1485-1603, by J.R. Tanner. Cambridge University Press, 1951. p.495.