Highways Act 1562 Explained

Short Title:Highways Act 1562
Type:Act
Parliament:Parliament of England
Long Title:An Act for the Continuance of the Statute made 2 & 3 P. & M. for the Amendment of Highways.
Year:1562
Citation:5 Eliz. 1. c. 13
Royal Assent:10 April 1563
Amends:Highways Act 1555
Repealing Legislation:Highways (No. 2) Act 1766
Status:repealed

The Highways Act 1562 (5 Eliz. 1. c. 13), sometimes the Second Statute of Highways, was an Act of the Parliament of England, that was passed in 1563, which extended the provisions of the Highways Act 1555.

Background

The Highways Act 1555 was an Act, passed in 1555 during the reign of Queen Mary I, which mandated that every householder of a parish had to provide four days labour in a year on the highways.

The Act

The Act amended the original Act by extending the provisions for a further twenty years, and made the requirement six days labour rather than four. Supervisors of highway work were empowered to take debris from quarries and dig for gravel without permission of the landowners. The Act also empowered Justices of the Peace at Quarter Sessions to investigate and punish supervisors in cases where they were in dereliction of their duties, imposing fines as thought to be necessary.

Repeal

It was repealed by section 57 of the Highways (No. 2) Act 1766.

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