The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-12
QUEER ENGLISH ROAD LAWS
WILLIAM WALDORF Aston FINDS
1T HARD TO CLOSE HIGHWAYS.
Where Dead Body or Bride
Has Passed Must Stay Open-Fer-

William Waldorf AStOr, late AfleIll an
citizen now reluctantly accepted British
| subject, is having great trouble over the
public right-of-way across his estate at
/ Cliveden, according TO recent reports.
I Several foot and horse roads for many
| years have traversed the Cliveden grounds
on the edge of the River Thames, ana no
body has ever attempted to close them or
curtai their use by the public before. But
William Waldorf Aston has attempted 10
render all of them unavailable to the pub
lie, and has succeeded, after many efforts
and much tribulation in doing 80 in re-
gard to all saw cone.
This is a foot path which leads down TO
a ferry which is maintained at govern
ment expense, and the British government,
being greater than even the Aston mill
ions, declines to disestablish the ferry at
the Aston suggestion. So, as the owner OF
the estate resolutely refuses to allow
cart or conveyance of any kind to make
use of the roads which he has suoceehea
in closing. the ferryman Is compelled 10
pack" all his supplies-food. Goals ana
everything else-from the main road or
public highway to his cottage, d ulstai~o
OF about two miles. .
English citizens and neighbors ma IL
difficult to understand or appreciate the
ex-American's attitude in regard TO the
matter and William Waldorf Astor is De-
coming more unpopular than ever on &C
question a. little more deeply before de-
Gliding that the roads and pathways open
to the public for hundreds of years must
he closed Immediately and forthwith, III
all probability he would have been less
abrupt and decided in his action.
Hard to Close Some Roads
II Is no easy matter to close path or
roadway which has once been lald oIeh
in England as every genuine Engish cltl-
zen knows; 1t Is absolutely imposslpie, III
a majority of cases, without the repeai.
ing OF one or more laws or the pdsSihs VI
a new act of parliament
Tho basic law underlying the roadway
regulations of the United Kingdom 10
difficult for one not to the manor porn
10 understand. There are certain roans'
and even streets, and In large clues ii,'o
the bargain. which could be closed 10 the
prblic completely at the whim OF a sihsle
man-the man who owns the estate
which thew traverse. There are plenty
NJ streets even in London, Which az
daily closed during certain hours Oh INC
mornins. and evening, and which must be
closed one entire day out OF every year
the title to them IL to be ina4hlaiile'i'
~ ~, savera, of the large London estates
90 which every one has heard, the BED
ford and Westminster estates particularly
ara streets SPAWNED by gates whlch are
Iocked so as to exclude every one not pc
longing to the family and endoWeu WIZ"
a KEY during the early morning anu iate
evening hours. Not many years ago duca,
headles stood at these gates morning anu
evening and barred the way against pie
beian vehicles all day long and against
traffic of any kind during the prescribed
hours. hut this formality is rarely observed
NOWADAYS The gates are simply locked
and bottled during the times when trafric
is not allowed. Many of the gated ana
locked squares in the residence portion
of London are relics of this kind OF thing.
Some Old Restrictions.
Here are a few of the reasons which
might possibly be brought forward to pre-
vent the closing of that foot path across
the Cliveden estate even II the govern
ment did not see fit to interfere
II a dead body has ever been carried
along a public highway, semi-pubic road,
or private foot path, that highway road
or foot path can never be closed, accord
ing TO the law of England. Just why this
law should be allowed to remain existent.
or how or why 1t originated, would be
difficult to discover or determinate, but
exist 1t does. Since foot paths are usu-
ally short cuts to the main roads, and
walking funerals" were once of frequent
occurrence among the poorer people of
England, II has initiated against and pre-
vented the closing of many foot path
which had become undesirable to the own
er of the estate over which II ran.
If foot path has been in regular and
unremitting use for period of over ten
years nothing short of an act OF parlia-
ment or the making of a new law Will
allow IL TO be closed.
If bride has been led over foot path
to her new home 1t has acquired the right
OF perpetual existence in many parts OF
England.
80 foot nat n NNin on
able the travelled to avoid crossroads
where a footpad. a highway robber or a
self-murdered individual has been buried,
this is sufficient reason for its continu-
ance as an open road.
II the abandonment or closing OF foot
path makes It necessary TO cross plowed
field, a meadow field or a field of grain
I'm passing from one high road to another,
Il can no more be abandoned or closed
without the before mentioned act OF par
lament than can the meadow field be
sown anything but hay, provided II has for
more than twenty years be sown with hay.
other crops may be had I'm rotation as
fancied, but not so the grassy fields" for
which Old England is famous.
This was conclusively proved. as It has
been conclusively proved hundreds OF
times before, only last summer. 4 farm
er, living upon the farm where his father.
grandfather and great-grandfather had
lived before him, thought 10 enrich his
/ land by rotation Of crops. But the
meadow field" in which he wished 10
! plant wheat, he found It impossible to
| change. The twenty-year period had Just
elapsed. and SO, AS neither the farmer
| nor the land owner thought IL worth
| while TO try the act Of parliament remedy,
! meadow field" Il remained. A foot
! path through a meadow field may be
| changed. detected. or altered little II
/ IL can be proved that the short cut will
! be rendered shorter or the meadow grass
/ saved thereby otherwise II must remain
! exactly as Il IS. no matter how lncouveu.
| lent or unsuitable the passage OF time and
/ the altering Of landmarks may have rem
/ dercd IT,
| II footpath road or roadway leads
| directly 70, across or through a church
| or churohyard. II may never be closed
II such a patch leads down TO a river
! brook or other running water" the law
| IN some parts OF England AT least, for
! Lids that "a should ever be closed.
AMI II water crosses. pungent grasses
! rnuSh rooms. or other edible products gro a