THis Treatise & discription of High wayes , for these partes of his Maiesties Kingdome of Greate Brittaine , with their diuers and seuerall plat-formes , frames , order , and manner of making of them , whereby all the said high-waies shall or may bee made more sound and strong , pleasant , and comfortable for all maner of way-faring iourneying , or traueling with Cartes and carriages , or other waies by these said highwaies , All which is heerein plainely laide open and made manifest by Thomas Proctor Esquire . In this his Treatise is set downe for the generall good and helpfull instruction of al Countrimen , & for al places , and chiefly and moste needefully , where there is greate lacke and want of good waies , and where there are verie little or no good waies made : as in Holland in Lincolne-shire & such like : and to the dayly continuall great griefe and heart breaking of man and beast , with charges , hindrances , wearing and tyring of them , and sometime to the great and imminent danger of their liues , and often spoile and losse of goods , and also in some places else where , great hurt and spoile of Fences and groundes , with riding and going ouer the Corne , and such like , by shifting & seeking the best way diuersly : all which by these meanes are , or may bee remedied and preuented : And although it may be that in the foresaid places , or some of them , there hath beene bestowed the yearelye great allowance of so many yeares past , with the yearelye labours and charges thereof , and thereto by the lawes appointed and prouided with the beneuolence of so many well disposed persons , desceased , which haue giuen for and towardes the making , mending , and repayring of high waies , in diuers and sundrie places of this his Maiesties saide kingdome , with diuers other voluntarie helpes , besides , the saide greate allowance of men , and matter fitting to these yearelye and common daies labour and workes , &c. The aforesaid considerately looked into , he findeth no reason why there should be any ill waies . Notwithstanding , all which , or much therof hath been bestowed to little or no purpose , but much thereof vtterly lost both cost , worke and stuffe , for want of meete matter , or orderly maner in disposing the same in their saide workes , as appeares too manifestlye in moste of those their works at this day . And as he by his practise and costs , hath found true and prooued : That the labour of twentie fixe able persons , that are readie in their worke , and well disposed thereunto with Pick-are , spade shouell , rake and rammer , chipaxe and Augur , to be chosen and taken out of euerie parish , and so forth generallye out of all such numbers , of all vsuall and common daies labours , &c. Orderlye to bee set to worke in this his manner , with their carts & carriages according , with some boyes and maides to helpe , where cause requires , shal or may suffice to make half a furlong yearelye , and as much good and faire way , and dispatch them , to the bettering of the worst and foulest waies to be made good and strong in euerie parish , as twice so manye should or could haue done heeretofore in this proportioned worke and orderly manner without this saide prescribed manner and order heerein made knowne . And heere withal is to be remembred that one principal and chiefe cause of al bad and foule waies is , that the raine water or other water doth lye and rest vpon the highwaies ( not orderlye and soundlye made ) which with the working of cart wheeles & others , dooth peirce downe more deeper into the saide waies , and so more and more doth soften and rot the same , as by dayly experience is seene and knowne . And also that the ditches and common showers are not yearely clensed so as is needfull , which are the best helpes to drawe and dreane the waters off and from the moste parte of all highwaies and groundes ( as in reason there should bee ) and by his Matesties lawes ought to bee done ; which not hauing beene done orderly is one reason of , and wherby much of their former labours and charges with their waies and works are wasted , as aforesaid , and little good way to bee found , whereas these foresaid thinges otherwise preuented , then once well made and stronglye done , though but a furlong yearelye in euerie parish so to bee made , so as one parish may bee helpfull vnto another next adioyning with men or mony , of the surpulsages of other greater parishes , to supplie the wantes of the lesser parishes , at the rate heere in this his book expressed so as by help one of another , there may easilye bee performed yearelye fortie rodds at the least in euerie parish , and so yearely by little and little heereby all former labours & charges which haue vnprofitably beene wasted , shall bee cut off , and all such future labours and charges shal be preuented and saued to some needful and profitable vses : For this saide worke once well made and done , must needes be better and cheaper , then yerely still a making and doing , and neuer well made and done , so as it ought to bee , and as is by the lawes therfore appointed , intended and ment .

The neglect and necessitie wherof , and the loue to his country in this his last age and yeares , hath inforced him hereunto , out of his care , charge , paines and practice , to make known the same . The effects whereof dooth and may appeare with other his studies & labours for the general good of all in this his booke duelye or indifferently considered , to the making and bettering , as is aforesaide of all high-waies , thereby to be made more sufficient and durable , more easie , with much lesser matter , stuffe , charges , and expences than euer heeretofore hath beene done ( by their common daies labors ) which by Art and action dooing , wil & may cut off and saue very much of the yerely charges & labors of former times and works , as aforesaid .

First therfore a platforme and foundation must bee cast & made in cawsy-wise , that is to say , to be made a rodd broad at the least , wherupon two carts may meet and passe one by another , & on either side the said cawsie of that bredsh , to draw a ditch of 3. foot depth , & 4. foot broad , & that earth which shal be so digged , must be cast vp from the said ditch to the midst of the cawsie of a rod broad , proportionally , that the middest & height of the said way may bee in bredth one yard , & higher by two foote in the midst , then at the outward sides or edges of the same : the higher the midst and lower the sides , the drier and better way to void the water , which water is the only rotting and spoyling of al high waies , and the only losse of al charge and common daies labours heretofore that no good way hath been made and continued for want of true maner and forme , and due consideration hereof in their former works .

Secondly this cawsie , if it be of a clayish soile , or of such like slimy or spungy earth , it must be wrought and cast vp in the winter season , that it may haue time to settle and ioyne firmly and soundly together , & so being cast and made as before said , that no carts be suffered to passe vpon it , til the spring time , or that the earth thereof bee drie and hard , for marring and breaking his shape and forme made as beforesaide , for if in Summer it shall bee caste , it wil rise in such hard clottes and tough greate lumpes , as will hardlye with greate labour and much ramming bee disgested and brought to a good foundation , but at a far more greater charge then the before said , when the earth is soft and kindely to digge and ioyne together .

The which thus cast & made in winter as before , besure them that your forenamed ditches on either side the saide Cawsie be so artificially and hansomelye contriued , made and clensed of filth and soile , that the raine water which shall fall from the said Cawsie , may haue a speedie Current in those ditches , and so falling into ditches which must bee made by some good iudgement of workemen , or other instrument to that purpose , that the said water from thence may haue a good and speedy passage to the next ditches , and so from ditch to ditch , gutter to gutter , or other conueyances of water to the common shoares , and so to the next brook or maine streame adioyning to the saide workes or any of them .

Thirdly , if your ground or earth in any of your waies to be made , bee garden-like moulde , soft , sandye or crumbling , or such like short earth , then will that sort of earth with small labour of ramming of it selfe , with treading and going vpon it in their labours & workes , settle and ioyne soundly together , and especiallye after some good shewres of raine falne thereupon , which then will be a good foundation presently , to frame and binde in with Timber , woodrailes or powles , as to place , lay , fill , and couer with stones grauell , sand , or small wood to be cut of Billet or faggot fashion , or anye other hard or drie matter to bee had or made by art or otherwise ( according to the plentie or necessitie of euerie soile and place ) as in diners , and in euerie sundrie seueral manners , sorts & formes of works and workings , in this his booke is declared , shewed , and plainely set downe in their places for euerie one to follow and worke thereafter accordingly : al which manners and emptie places of all those wood frames you do vse , must be filled as you see , either with wood , stones , Iron-cinders , Iron-stones , Geauel stones or other , & so filled . Lastly to be well couered ouer with smal grauel , rubbish or sand , or anye other stones broken smal . And heere is to be considered , that in euery parish one with another there are to be estimated of vnspeakeable or vnknown numbers of housholders plowes & carts to be rated at three shillings euery cart , and therfore so many men for their worke of highwaies , to bee rated but at 8. pence euerie man the day , besides the help of women and children , fit to serue in this worke as heeretofore haue done , for gathering of stones and carrying of matter and stuffes with bowles , creeles and baskets & such like , for to fil hollow places according to their accustomed & yerely vsual maner heeretofore in repayring of high waies , which yerely amounteth to a great summe .

From amongst which numbers of housholders , plowes and carts before said are to be chosen or made for this worke two and fiftie men , with 12. carts , and 12 men part of the said 52. for the seruice of 6. daies to bring in matter and stuffe likewise according to the custom of the yerely repairing of high waies in euerye parishe , and that then euery cart & man so seruiceable in these workes , to be rated for their 6. daies labour , but as aforesaide , after three shillinges the day for euerye cart so seruing , and the rest of the said labouring men being 38 to be rated as aforesaid after eight pence the day , of which number of 38. there must be 20 at the least of verie sufficient able men of some good iudgement in their own labours : If such bee wanting they must be chosen and hired to doe such work as the surueyor or surueyors of the said work , shal direct & appoint in euery parish according to these his rules in this his book vnder written . Likewise out of the said rest of 52. now remaining , being now but 20.12 . must be sufficient laborers with shouels , pickare and spades , for making and fitting the saide platforme and foundatition in manner and forme ( as before said ) to be readie for the second work , to be laid , made and framed vpon , to bee filled with earth , and fast rammed for shrinking .

These last before said , 20. such able men wil digge ditch , cast , leuell , plaine , and make readie , and finish fortie rods , which is a furlong in all the saide sire daies , according to the Statutes heeretofore made , of and for the workes of euerye yeare for euerie parish yearely this work during , but seauen or tenn yeares space , which after the saide accompt of fortie roddes in euerie parish yearely to bee wrought and made as before saide ; will make good , fil , and dry vp al foule , hollow & bad places with a small yerelye charge and labour to bee maintained , passable , good and faire for euer after , where heretofore the labours and costs of such great numbers of housholders plowes & carts for these fiftie yeres past haue beene spent and loste , and little or fewe good waies made in any such order , maner and forme .

If the ground , soyle , or earth bee clayish , or destitute of stones , a binding must needes bee made for this worke of wood , framed and made & likewise filled with wood , as appeareth by the platformes heareafter discribed : That is to say , poles of young wood , or rayles of base Timber , of length eighteene foote , and in thicknesse or compasse round about some ten or twelue inches one with another , or lesse where wood is scant , & if they shall lacke of that length , to take two shorte , to make one longe , so as when they are framed and made fit , and pinned down with stakes with wodden pins through them , they may be a rod square at the least within the said frame and crost with such like timber made fast as is needfull , according to the platformes and sundrie maners of workes and working in this his booke plainely set downe .

Also it is to bee considered , that if anye such matter & stuffe fit for the said work , cannot bee had within two miles of the said worke , as is moste commonly to bee had within that compasse in most places & parishes therabouts , being diligently sought for , yet neuertheles 12. cartes will suffice within their sixe common daies labour , at two miles off , to bring in sufficient loades of such matterof stones , wood , or other drye or hard matter , as will performe the yearely accomplishment and finishing of one furlong of the worst way euerie yeare in euerie parish , being fortie rods a yeare : and if it be at a mile off , or from the worke , then sixe cartes will performe as much as the other twelue : if but at halfe a mile from the saide workes or Cawsie , then three cartes are able to performe the saide carriages , as in stonye or wood countries , where such stuffes or stones are neare at hand . And then there & in such places , so much money , labours & charges is spared & gotten after three shillings in euerie cart by day , more then in other parishes , where it is not so easie to be had , and so likewise in the mens labors of euery housholder after eight pence by day , containing great numbers in their former labours of their said high-waies , besides women & children , as aforesaid , yerely heeretofore so inconsiderntely consumed and spent : all which charges heereby so saued , some part thereof to bee imployed and reckoned for wood for the said frames and strong binding , and making of the said cawsie and high-waies with their belongings , & all the rest so saued to bee at his Maiesties good pleasure , to whose most gratious fauour , hee humbly submitteth himselfe , and to the good consideration of all his louing countrie men , for this his skill and paines taken so diuersly to his cost and charge in setting foorth this his manners of high waies , with his other proiects of water , for making of anye drie towne to haue waters brought vnto them , or neare vnto them , or bringing one riuer to or neare vnto another , as Thames to or neare Seuerne , or Seuerne neare or to Thames at an easier rate then any other , for botes , lighters and bardges with their ladings and carriages to passe too and froe with Sea-coales , which are as wel in his maiesties forrest of Deane as in Wales , are plentie to be had neare there abouts , for transportation at a reasonable rate , with other more such like places ( as now from New-castle in way of Decaye ) and also for making of Iron in quality and quanty good and merchantable , according to the nature of the mine , with a third part of wood-coles wher it may be spared , or otherwise with out any wood coles at al at greate profit , such as thereon may bee gained , 33. shillings vpon euery tunne , as the prise of Iron there now goeth , or three shillings vppon twentie , vpon euerie returne where the same shall bee made , for the generall good of his maiesties kingdome and Subiects .