Meaning
A person employed to collect tolls at a turnpike gate or toll bridge.
Description
Tollkeepers were employed by turnpike trusts to collect tolls from road users at gates set across the improved roads of the 18th and 19th centuries. They lived in distinctive toll cottages beside the gate, often working long hours to collect payment from coaches, carts and drovers passing through at all hours. The toll system financed the improvement and maintenance of roads. Turnpike trusts were gradually wound up after the coming of the railways reduced road traffic. Tollkeepers are found in census records living in the characteristic toll cottages that still survive in many places.
Also Known As
Toll Collector, Gate Keeper, Pike Man
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Trade Directories
- Turnpike Trust Records
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