Publications about milestones, waymarkers and related transport heritage topics
The following publications offer the reader exciting and interesting opportunities to learn more about the means and methods of depicting distances for travellers across the centuries. It is not a comprehensive list of publications, so should you encounter other relevant titles, please do bring these to the attention of the Society’s Honorary Secretary so the “Bookshelf” can be updated.
Some titles are known to be out of print, but you may still be able to source them through the internet search channels.
(Updated January 2024)
| Title | Author | Publication details/ISBN No. | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Interest | |||
| A, B, C and M: Road Numbering Revealed | Andrew Emmerson and Peter Bancroft | Capital Transport Publishing (2016)
ISBN: 9781854144034 |
|
| Roads: Archaeology and Architecture | Richard K. Morriss | The History Press (2004)
ISBN: 9780752428871 |
|
| Building a Bibliography | David Viner and Mike Hallet | The Milestone Society | In Milestones and Waymarkers Journal Vols 1- 6 |
| Hidden Histories:
A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape |
Mary-Ann Ochota | Frances Lincoln (2016)
ISBN: 9780711236929 |
|
| Coaching Days and Coaching Ways | W. Outram-Tristram | Re-print by Bracken 1986
ISBN: 9780946495962 (first edition 1888) |
|
| Golden Milestone: 50 years of the AA | David Keir and Bryan Morgan | The Automobile Association (1955) | |
| Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the building of Britain | Julian Glover | Bloomsbury Publishing (2017)
ISBN: 9781048837467 |
|
| More than a line on a map – Yorkshire’s boundaries, past present and future | Terry Ashby | The Book Dragon
Tel: 01642 670906 ISBN: 9781739608408 |
|
| The Nine Lives of John Ogilby | Alan Ereira | Gerald Duckworth & Co (2016)
ISBN: 9780715651100 |
|
| The Road Goes On | C. W. Scott-Giles; illustrations by Hugh Thomson | The Empworth Press (1946) | |
| Roman Britain and where to find it | Denise Alen and Mike Bryan | Amberley Publishing (2020)
ISBN: 9781445690148 |
|
| Secret Britain: Unearthing our Mysterious Past | Mary-Ann Ochota | Frances Lincoln (2020)
ISBN: 9780711253469 |
|
| The Turnpike Road System in England 1663 –1840 | William Albert | Cambridge University Press (first edition 1972; reprinted 2007)
ISBN: 9780521033916 |
|
| Transport and Economy: The Turnpike Roads of Eighteenth Century Britain | Eric Pawson | Academic Press Inc. (1977)
ISBN: 9780125469500 |
|
| Turnpike and Toll-bars (2 vols) | Mark Searle | Hutchison & Co (1930)
ASIN: 8001349UGM |
|
| UK: England and Wales | |||
| A Guide to the Milestones, Mileposts and Toll Buildings of Cumbria | Colin Smith | Brow Bottom Enterprises (2011)
ISBN: 9780955657429 |
|
| Cornish milestones: the development of Cornwall’s roads in the 18th and 19th centuries | Ian Thompson | Twelveheads Press; now Tor Mark Press (2013)
ISBN: 9780906294789 |
office@tormark.co.uk |
| Dartmoor Boundary Markers and other markers on and around the moor | David and Kath Brewer | Halsgrove, Tiverton, Devon (2002)
ISBN: 9781841141725 |
|
| Derbyshire Turnpike Road and Bridge Trusts 1724-1896 | Philip Riden and Dudley Fowkes | Derbyshire Records
Society (2019) ISBN: 9780946324453 |
Derbyshire Turnpike Road and Bridge Trusts 1724-1896, Vol 44 (derbyshirerecordsociety.org) |
| Discover Dorset – Roads, Tracks and Turnpikes | David Viner | Dovecote Press (2007)
ISBN: 9781904349143 |
|
| Finding Worcestershire Milestones | Worcestershire Group of The Milestone Society | The Milestone Society (2007)
ISBN:9780955753800 |
|
| The Great Road – the Thetford to Norwich Turnpike | Norma Virgoe | Wymondham Heritage Society (2017) ISBN: 9781901553123 | |
| The Guide Stoops of the Dark Peak | Howard Smith | Self-published (2000)
ISBN: 0952154137 |
|
| The Guide Stoops of Derbyshire | Howard Smith | Self-published (2000)
ISBN: 0952154145 |
|
| Marking the Miles: A History of English Milestones | Carol Haines | Self-published/
ISBN: 0953888509 |
£12; Contact the author at: ch_miles@yahoo.com |
| Milestones | Mervyn Benford | Shire Publications No 401 (2002)
ISBN: 0747805261 |
|
| Milestones and Toll Houses on Old Turnpike Roads (No 10 in a series of 16 booklets on the Roads across the Upper Thames Valley (RUTV)
The other titles are: RUTV 1: Ancient Tracks across the Vale of White Horse RUTV 2: Ogiby’s Road to Hun gerford RUTV 3: The Turnpike Network in the Upper Thames Valley RUTV 4: The Besselsleigh Turnpike RUTV 5: The Wallingford, Wantage and Faringdon Turnpike RUTV 6: Fyfield to St John’s Bridge & Kingston Bagpuize to Newbridge Turnpike RUTV 7: Turnpike Roads through Abingdon RUTV 8: Turnpike Roads around Oxford RUTV 9: Early travellers on Roads across the Upper Thames RUTV 11: Coach and Wagon Services on Roads in the Upper Thames Valley RUTV 12: Response of Thames Valley Turnpikes to the coming of the railway RUTV 13: Early Maps of the Upper Thames Region RUTV 14: Turnpike Roads around Banbury RUTV 15: The Turnpikes of Reading & East Berkshire RUTV 16: The Turnpikes around Pangbourne |
Alan Rosevear | Self-published
(from 1993, with revisions to 2010) Copies of RUTV 1 to 13 were lodged with the Local Studies Library at Oxford and at Reading; ISBN reference copies at the British Library and the Bodleian. An extended version of RUTV 14 was published as “Turnpike Road of Banbury” by The Banbury Historical Society Vol 31 (2010) ISBN: 9780900129292 and 9781899536481 Copies of “Turnpike Roads around Nantwich, Cheshire” by Keith Lawrence (2013) and “Devon Tollhouses; a gazetteer” by John Kanefsky (2022) can also be downloaded from turnpikes.org.uk |
Contact the author at Rosevear1@aol.com or as pdfs on turnpikes.org.uk |
| Moving Miles – restoring 60 of Norfolk’s milestones with help from children, Royalty and hard work | Nigel and Jennifer Ford | (2014) | |
| Norfolk Milestones | Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society | 3rd edition (2015) | £8; Contact Carol Haines at: |
| Solway Past History of the borders | Graham Brooks | Self-published (2021) | |
| Somerset Traditional Fingerposts: Maintenance, Repair and Restoration Handbook | Somerset County Council and South-West Heritage Trust | (2017) | |
| Sussex Industrial Archaeology: A Field Guide | B. Austen | Phillimore & Co Ltd
(1985) ISBN: 0850335566 |
|
| The Toll-houses of Somerset | Janet Dowding and Patrick Taylor | Polystar Press (2013)
ISBN: 9781907154058 |
Patrick Taylor is also the co-author on other books in the same series, covering Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Essex, South Devon, Staffordshire and Suffolk. (2001-2014) |
| The Toll Roads of Buckinghamshire 1706-1881 | Peter Gulland | Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society (2017)
ISBN: 9780995717732 |
Bucks County Museum
(on-line) |
| The Turnpike Roads of Devon in 1840 | Martin Ebdon | Martin Ebdon (2014)
ISBN: 9780993007200 |
|
| Thomas Telford’s Holyhead Road – The A5 in North Wales | Jamie Quartermaine, Barrie Trinder and Rick Turner | Council for British Archaeology (CBA) Research Report 135 (2003)
1902771346 |
Council for British Archaeology website |
| Worcestershire Turnpike Trusts and Tollhouses | Alan
Scaplehorn and Connie Swan |
Worcestershire Group of The Milestone Society (2009) | |
| UK: Scotland | |||
| Are we nearly there yet? (Scottish milestones) | L. Bruce Keith | Priory Ash/
ISBN: 9780956638755 |
Contact Bruce Keith at dunproductions@yahoo.co.uk |
| The Milestones of Arran | Ruth and Alan Thompson | (2000) | |
| The Milestones of Fife | Alex Darwood and Dr Paula Martin | East of Fife Preservation Society (2005) | |
| Milestones of the Union Canal | Jim Lonie | Linlithgow Union Canal Society (2020) | |
| Morningside Toll House: A History of the Road North to Edinburgh Old Town and South to Fairmilehead and Beyond | Alverie Weighill | Self-published (2018) | Contact Alverie Weighill at |
| The Resort of All Amorous Couples: Thomas Telford’s Toll-house at Alison’s Bank, Gretna | Alverie Weighill
(V. E. Weighill) |
Self-published (2021)
ISBN: 9781800490000 |
Contact Alverie Weighill at |
| The Roads of Fife | Owen Silver | John Donald
(1987) ISBN: 9780859761604 |
|
| The Scots’ Dike and its Boundary Stones | Alverie Weighill | Article in the Transactions of Dumfries & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society (91) (2017) | Contact Alverie Weighill at
valerieweighill@yahoo.co.uk, and on the D&GNH&AS website |
| Scrapbook of information on Scottish Milestones and other Waymarkers | Compiled by Terry Keegan | The Milestone Society – out of print | Contact for more information: Honsec@milestonesociety.co.uk |
| International | |||
| Discovering Australia’s Historical Milemarkers and Boundary Stones | Robert and Sandra Crofts | Xlibris (2013)
ISBN: 9781483636894 |
|
| Discovering the Milestones from Madinah to Makkah | Dr Abdullah Alkhadi | Orient East (2021) | Contact Ian Thompson at: i.thompson029@btinternet.com |
| Manx Milestones | Stuart Slack | The Manx Experience.
1873120583 |
The Manx Experience,
Onchan, Isle of Man IM3 3BW |
| Marking the miles along the National road through Ohio | Cyndie L. Gerken | Create Space Independent Publishing Platform (2015)
ISBN: 9781517317034 |
|
| Milestones and Guideposts in Massachussets and Southern New Hampshire | James and Mary Gage | PowWow River Books
(2014) ISBN: 9780981614075 |
|
| The Old Post Road: the story of the Boston Post Road (American Trails Series) | Stewart H. Holbrook | McGraw-Hill (1962); reprinted 1972)
ISBN: 9780070295353 |