SRO Q/Rut/5/32
©Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

By the beginning of the 18th century, the condition of many of the county’s roads was extremely poor. The parishes, who were responsible for the upkeep of roads, simply could not keep them in good repair. So the development of turnpiked roads was the solution adopted in the 18th century to improve the state of the county’s highways. The roads improved under the various turnpike trusts set up in 18th century Staffordshire provided the basic infrastructure of today’s road network. A spin off from the development of turnpiked roads was the facilitation of coach travel and the building of large coaching inns, such as The Crown at Stone, The Swan in Stafford and The Four Crosses at Hatherton.