To Her Majesty’s Justices Of The Peace, For the County of Monmouth, Assembled In Quarter Sessions, At Usk

The Humble Petition of The Rate-Payers of The Parish of Goytre

Sheweth —

That we, the undersigned Landowners, Tenant Farmers, and Tradesmen, being Rate-Payers, in the Parish of Goytre perceive, with great regret, that it is your intention, at the next Quarter Sessions, to confirm the Provisional Order made at the last Sessions to adopt the new Highway Act, in the County of Monmouth,

That we cannot regard this Act in any other light than that of direct interference with our vested rights, while we are convinced that, in our own case, and probably, in that of many others, the burden of Taxation, which already weighs too heavily on our industry, will, under the provisions of this Act will be greatly augmented.

That our Highways, greatly improved, as they have been, within the last four years, are now in fair average condition, and will compare favourably with the Highways of any other district, so that we can repair by an average Annual Rate of six pence in the pound: we are, therefore, most unwilling to commit ourselves to a new measure, which will not only deprive us of our parochial rights, but will necessarily be expensive in its operation.

That experience has shown us in the case of the Poor Law, that whatever advantages that enactment may be supposed to possess, the working of it swallows up an enormous per centage of our Rates, and that there is every reason to fear that, under the Act in question, the Paid Staff, and other things, will cost as much as the whole outlay required to maintain our roads according to the present system, – a system which, although in some respects defective, is not, on that account, to summarily condemned: and we therefore very earnestly, but most respectfully beg that you will not confirm your Provisional Order in respect of the fore-mentioned Act..

And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pay

Thomas Evans ~ Rector    William Jones           Richard Williams

William Gwatkin                 Edward Charles        William Phillips

Walter Williams                  Isaac Wilks                William Jones

Thos Lewis                        Owen Davies             Rachel Thomas

Richard Pruett                   James Waits              Tom Griffiths

John Bevan                       Charles Lewis             Isaac Williams

William Reece                   John Williams             Jacob Prosser

William Morgan                 Edward Williams         Walter Davis

Lewis Mathews                 W Morgan                   Phillip Jenkins

John Williams                   Thos Tessym               Samuel Heath

Thos Jenkins                    Charles Jones

William Jenkins                Thomas Thomas

William Lewis                   David Evans

Thomas Prosser              Edmond Dixon

John Preece                   John Powells

John Jenkins                  William Watkins

Thomas Roberts            John Harris

Enoch Heath                 Isaac Jenkins

William Price                 William Jenkins

Henry Miles                  John Lewis

Mary Watts                   David Davis

Henry Plaisted             John Lewis

Thomas James jnr       John Proses

Benj Jeremiah             William James

Thomas James           John Williams

William Nicholas         Robert Higgs

John Morgan              George Painter

Mordecai Jones         John Waters

John Ballard              John Steele

William Bevan           William Turner

Daniel Tedman          William Jones

John Lewis                Thomas Lewis

William Jeremiah       Ann Rosser

Henry Cowmeadow Thomas Jenkins

William Francis         Francis Adams