20:
135:
28:
235:
221:
87:. Fees depended on the type of cargo. Coal, stone and lime were the cheapest, then iron ore, then finished goods, with perishables and packets being the most expensive. Tolls might be refunded for long distance trips to encourage expansion of trade - "drawbacks" - particularly applied to the coal trade.
155:
Canals were set up as commercial enterprises. The fee for using the canals was dependent on the type of cargo and its weight. Each boat had to have four (or, for some canal companies - Swansea, Glamorganshire, Oxford, six) gauging plates fitted to the hull at the "corners" of the boat - bow and stern
208:
The gauging plates originally had scales showing the tonnage marked on them but around 1810 the method of using tables was implemented, often supplemented by a visible scale for quick checking. Boats were re-indexed every ten years as their wooden infrastructure became waterlogged and they ran lower
163:
above water level at each corner with the boat unladen and then measured again when known weights had been loaded into the boat from an overhead gantry. These measurements were logged in toll-keeper's tables and copies sent to every toll office within the boat's trading range. At toll offices if a
51:
Generally this was at a lock or an artificially constricted part of the canal so that the boat had to pass within inches of the toll point unable to evade the toll. On canals where the fee was based on cargo weight it also put the boat in a convenient place to read the gauging mark height from the
47:
is a place on a canal where a fee was collected as boats carrying cargo passed. These were sited at strategic points such as the stop lock at the transition from one canal company to another where water transfer was a concern, or at busy locks where water usage and pumping costs were an issue.
168:(declared cargo) the height of the four corners of the boat were checked with a gauging stick and averaged to allow for uneven cargo loading. That boat's entry in the gauging table was used to determine the cargo weight. The toll fee was worked out from the weight and cargo type.
184:
was on an island, with a covered gantry in a centre channel where boats were loaded with weights, plated and calibrated. The channels either side allowed two-way traffic and possibly the collection of tolls. The buildings and equipment were demolished in the 1940s. Another
59:
the toll house may have been built on an island between two constricted channels so that one toll point could collect from boats travelling in each direction. The BCN retains several of these islands, for example at Winson Green
Junction.
104:
Special tolls existed for use of boat lifts, inclined planes and tunnels, but companies were not allowed to charge different tolls for special customers or over different parts of the line until 1845 (the Canal Tolls Act).
119:
Fees were paid by the boatman or by account. Fraud was common: under declaration of the cargo (proved by gauging or by dry weighing of the boat), hiding valuable goods under cheaper cargo, or by bribery.
101:
In the 1790s toll fees were greatly reduced by
Parliament to encourage canal use. In practice, competition kept tolls below the maximum, particularly after the arrival of the railways.
90:
Some exceptions were made to placate local land owners. The delivery of straw, manure or road building materials, as well as coal for the poor (5,000 tons per year on the
176:
The fitting and calibration of gauging plates was done at a gauging station or indexing station. On the
Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN)
83:
Fees were set in pence per mile, or part. Sometimes empty boats were exempt, or free if returning loaded, or if water was running over the
340:
317:
113:
253:
322:
295:
276:
77:
31:
Derelict toll island at Winson Green
Junction on the BCN Main Line at today's Smethwick - Birmingham boundary
248:
53:
186:
19:
189:
survives. Here iron weights were loaded, four tons at a time. Other canal companies had stations at
124:
194:
190:
127:
in 1948 but are still paid by commercial carriers on commercial waterways. Pleasure boats pay
226:
134:
8:
350:
181:
139:
52:
water line. On busy canals which were built with a towpath on either side such as the
291:
272:
128:
69:
56:
27:
313:
240:
73:
345:
36:
334:
177:
234:
202:
95:
91:
16:
Place on a canal where a fee was collected as boats carrying cargo passed
156:
at each side - indicating a measurement point and a boat serial number.
198:
143:
72:. Some early Acts allowed fees to be set by local commissioners or
165:
160:
112:, charged on a new canal joining an existing waterway, perhaps 5
68:
The maximum tolls were set by the river navigation and canal
84:
131:
an annual licence fee based on the length of the craft.
159:
The boat was calibrated by measuring the height of the
216:
312:
288:The Complete Book Of Canal & River Navigations
76:, but from 1720 fees could only be reassessed by
332:
285:
23:Octagonal BCN toll house at Smethwick top lock
318:"Tipton Gauging Station - Grade II (1077148)"
98:may have freed the carrier of toll fees.
133:
26:
18:
180:the Smethwick Gauging Station near the
333:
164:toll collector suspected an incorrect
266:
286:Paget-Tomlinson, Edward W. (1980) .
63:
254:History of the British canal system
138:Derelict gauging station island at
13:
323:National Heritage List for England
171:
14:
362:
306:
233:
219:
150:
290:. Waine Research Publications.
341:Water transport infrastructure
187:BCN indexing station at Tipton
94:), or contribution to county
1:
259:
108:Another type of toll was the
249:Canals of the United Kingdom
54:Birmingham Canal Navigations
7:
212:
10:
367:
195:Trent and Mersey Canal
147:
32:
24:
227:United Kingdom portal
137:
30:
22:
267:Shill, Ray (2002) .
269:Birmingham's Canals
182:Engine Arm Aqueduct
140:Engine Arm Aqueduct
123:Tolls lasted until
148:
33:
25:
129:British Waterways
110:compensation toll
64:Waterway toll fee
57:BCN New Main Line
358:
327:
314:Historic England
301:
282:
243:
241:Transport portal
238:
237:
229:
224:
223:
222:
74:Quarter Sessions
366:
365:
361:
360:
359:
357:
356:
355:
331:
330:
309:
304:
298:
279:
262:
239:
232:
225:
220:
218:
215:
174:
172:Gauging station
153:
125:nationalisation
66:
17:
12:
11:
5:
364:
354:
353:
348:
343:
329:
328:
308:
307:External links
305:
303:
302:
296:
283:
277:
263:
261:
258:
257:
256:
251:
245:
244:
230:
214:
211:
209:in the water.
173:
170:
152:
149:
116:on all goods.
65:
62:
37:United Kingdom
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
363:
352:
349:
347:
344:
342:
339:
338:
336:
325:
324:
319:
315:
311:
310:
299:
297:0-905184-01-7
293:
289:
284:
280:
278:0-7509-2077-7
274:
270:
265:
264:
255:
252:
250:
247:
246:
242:
236:
231:
228:
217:
210:
206:
204:
200:
196:
192:
188:
183:
179:
169:
167:
162:
157:
151:Gauging point
145:
141:
136:
132:
130:
126:
121:
117:
115:
111:
106:
102:
99:
97:
93:
88:
86:
81:
79:
75:
71:
61:
58:
55:
49:
46:
42:
38:
29:
21:
321:
287:
268:
207:
175:
158:
154:
122:
118:
109:
107:
103:
100:
89:
82:
67:
50:
44:
40:
34:
92:Derby Canal
45:toll island
351:Toll (fee)
335:Categories
260:References
146:on the BCN
78:Parliament
41:toll point
199:Northwich
178:Main Line
144:Smethwick
213:See also
161:gunwales
201:on the
193:on the
191:Etruria
166:waybill
35:In the
346:Canals
294:
275:
203:Weaver
96:rates
85:weirs
292:ISBN
273:ISBN
197:and
70:Acts
43:or
337::
320:.
316:.
271:.
205:.
142:,
114:d.
80:.
39:a
326:.
300:.
281:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
