The Commissioners of Highland Roads and Bridges (formally the Commissioners for Roads and Bridges in the Highlands of Scotland) was created in 1803 to take responsibility for the construction and maintenance of the long-distance roads in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

. The commission was created following the 1802 inspection by

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...

(on behalf of the government) of the state of the roads. The Scottish Highland Roads and Bridges Act 1803 (43 Geo III c 80) established the commission. The initial commissioners, named in section 4 of the 1803 Act, were the

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

, the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

, and His Majesty's Advocate for Scotland, all for the Time being, the Rt Hon

William Dundas William Dundas (1762–1845) was a Scottish politician. The son of Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the younger, he became a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1788. He was member of parliament (MP) for the Anstruther Burghs from 1794 to 1796, for th ...

, Sir William Pulteney, Bt, Isaac Hawkins Browne,

Nicholas Vansittart Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley, (29 April 1766 – 8 February 1851) was an English politician, and one of the longest-serving Chancellors of the Exchequer in British history. Background and education The fifth son of Henry Vansittart ( ...

Charles Grant Charles or Charlie Grant may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Charles Jameson Grant (), American editorial cartoonist * Charles L. Grant (1942–2006), American novelist * Charles Grant (actor) (born 1957), American actor * Charles Grant (dancer ...

, William Smith, and Charles Dundas. The commission was dissolved by the Highland Roads and Bridges Act 1862 with effect from 31 December of that year, and the roads managed by the Commissioners and other property relating thereto was transferred to the

Commissioners of Supply Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...

(except in the counties of Argyll and Caithness, where transfer was to the Road Trustees of those counties). Management of the roads was also transferred to the Commissioners of Supply and Road Trustees.1862 Act, section 5.

References

External links

Parliamentary Archives, Scottish Commissioners for Bridges and Highways
Roads in Scotland 1802 establishments in Scotland 1862 disestablishments in Scotland {{scotland-stub