As well as the main types of waymarker described on other pages (milestones, guide-stones, boundary stones), there are other stones that may occasionally be encountered.
These include:
- Take-on and take-off stones: A take-off stone is a stone instructing a coachman to unhitch a horse, previously taken on (at a take-on stone) to help pull the coach up a steep hill. There are supposed to be three such stones on Mortimer Road, on the moors above Bradfield, near Sheffield.
- County bridge stones: denoting an important bridge which was to be maintained at the expense of the county rather than the parish - and of course rivers were often boundaries between parishes (click on link below).
- Right-of-way stones, such as the Marsden Packhorse Road stones, subject of a court case in the early 20th century (click on link below).
- Finger-posts
As befits England's largest county, Yorkshire has more than its fair share of these waymarkers too.
In addition to the milestones on our highways there are mile-markers to be found on our canals, such as the Leeds-Liverpool (pictured on the right) and the Huddersfield (Broad and Narrow) Canals, and the Society has now started to record these.
While not strictly waymarkers, many other interesting features can be found on our roadsides and rights of way, reflecting the history of our highways and their transport over the years. These include toll-houses, packhorse bridges, and more modern signs erected by motoring organisations such as the AA.
For more information click on the links to the articles below (more to follow).
RWH / Dec 2011
