OLD ROADS
There are two old lanes and the remains of a Roman Road passing through Hinton Village, and probably the oldest road is a track called "Tuggy's Lane" which leads past a field called "Shepherds Mead". ,in which an ancient village used to be before History existed as it is today.
The lane goes straight on to Cleeves Wood and leaving Tait Wood on the left eventually crosses the Norton Brook at the bottom of the little valley and climbs the hill the other side.
In the opposite direction Tuggy's Lane becomes "Green Lane" and eventually f'inishes up at Friary in Freshford. The other old track, sunk between very high banks, leads down by Tytherley Farm and a track leads on from there to Midford.
Mrs. Sarah Andrews used to always tell how she remembered seeing donkeys loaded with coal from Midford coming up this track and passing on their way to Trowbridge through the village .
There are also traces of' the old Roman Road from Bath to Hamworthy. These are to be f'ound near Abbey Farm; in Hinton House orchard; and across Innox towards Norwood. Running at some distance from the allotments by the Green, there is a double line of' trees planted to accord v11'ith the measurements of' the f'irst great cable ship, the Great Eastern.
Among the papers at Hinton House are various old plans of roads which have thrown light on what existed before the making of the Branch Road, which unites the new Warminster Road to the Frome Road.
In 1826 Captain Symonds, who lived at the Priory, wishing to get to Church by a more direct route, had a Law Suit with Mrs. Day of Hinton House about an old disused right of' way.
Thanks to that Law Suit a tracing of a map was made which shows that there was originally a road called "COW Barton" leading f'rom the corner of the Green past the East side of Hinton House, and then down Ashmead and on to Freshford.
In a map of' 1812 the road to Freshford went into Varmint near Mrs. Bailey's house Fairmount, then along past the Hinton House cow sheds and across the present top vegetable garden. There was a Lodge near this which has disappeared. From here the road turned left and eventually joined the road going down Ashmead.
A little later the course of the road was altered, and took the line of the present back drive before joining the road. iD. Ashmead, and the present gardener's cottage was built as a Lodge.
In 1845, the present Branch Road was made and a Toll Gate put at the end where it joins the Warminster Road. Mrs. Ottery says she can remember the little cottage on the right hand side which had a pretty garden. Her father, Mr. Freeman of Pipehouse, was a shoe-maker, having learnt his trade from Mr. Clements of Hinton, and he used to send her and her sister to fetch a bit of leather sometimes. She can well remember how frightened they were of old Mr. Rogers with his big hat and long white coat as he used to see they shut the gate properly. People on foot did not have to pay a toll, on the other hand, Mr. Tom Gerrish's grandmother who walked to Radstock from Pipehouse to fetch her coal on two donkeys, a walk of twelve miles each way avoided paying the toll of 1d. by going the long way round by Friary and Stroud Farm. She had the reputation of being so strong that she could lift a sack of coals single handed if it fell off a donkey's back.
The Toll Gate was removed in 188..The house, which was very damp, was pulled down and the weigh bridge removed and set up outside the Crown Inn where it is to this day. Old Mr. Rogers went to live at 47 the street. Until 1832 the main road from Bath to Beckington was the one which now runs through Midford and Norton. The present road, running by way of Limpley Stoke hill, the Viaduct, and Claverton, was made then.