The origins of the Great North Road by David Smith
A road to nowhere
The southern end of East Finchley occupies the land which was once The Bishop of London’s hunting park. In around 1300 the Bishop of London created a new route for the main road heading north out of London to the north of England, which became known as the Great North Road. It began at Smithfield and passed through Islington, Highbury and Holloway, along the route of the current A1, and then up Highgate Hill, North Hill and became today’s Great North Road through East Finchley.
By 1444 maps show a bridge, later known as Hanson Bridge, crossing the Mutton Brook – a tributary of the River Brent, which rises in Cherry Tree Wood.
The road initially followed the line of Market Place and The Walks to King Street, which was the boundary of the Bishop’s land. Beyond this point the road simply opened out onto Finchley common.
By 1712 the road had become so busy that a toll was introduced to pay for its upkeep. The road through East Finchley was also rerouted to follow the route of the current A1000 High Road. The section from Hanson Bridge to the north was named New Gate Lane and followed a straight line to what is now the crossroads at Fortis Green/East End Road, passing through a toll gate close to where the station now stands.
Distances to the north were measured from Hicks’ Hall, the former Middlesex magistrates’ courthouse, which was located at the southern end of St John St, Smithfield, and were marked by a large stone – a milestone – every mile. The first milestone was at Islington Green, the second at Highbury Corner, the third at Holloway, the fourth at the foot of Highgate Hill, the fifth on North Hill and the sixth stone where East Finchley High Road meets the end of Bedford Road.
Highwaymen and hangings
In the 1700s, the area to the east of East Finchley High Road, known as Finchley Common, was one of the most dangerous places in London on account of the highwaymen. The mounted robbers usually patrolled the main roads out of London where there was heathland or woods to hide in – and Finchley common was one of their favourite spots. Famous villains associated with the common include Dick Turpin and Jack Sheppard.
Notorious highwayman Jack Sheppard made his escape from Newgate Prison in September 1724 reputedly disguised as a butcher wearing a blue and white striped apron. He made off up The Great North Road but was recaptured in East Finchley and held overnight in the George Inn in The Hog Market. Just up the road, Oak Lane is named after Turpin’s Oak, an ancient oak tree where Dick Turpin was said to linger. When the tree was finally cut down in the 1950s it was found to be full of old musket balls.
Such was the problem of highwaymen that a gibbet was erected at the Six Mile Stone in East Finchley. Here highwaymen were executed and their bodies left hanging from chains to deter others.
An excerpt from Julian Woodford’s ‘Stick Up at Six Mile Stone’ published in Spitalfields Life:
“Shortly after 5pm on Thursday 11th March 1773, Henry Cothery was driving his wife and four-year-old daughter Ann in a small one-horse chaise across the common towards their home in the City of London, having spent the day visiting his elderly father in Barnet. As they neared Six Mile Stone, they were clumsily overtaken by a man on horseback. Cothery was remarking that the man must be drunk when he turned, whipped out a pistol and yelled ‘Stop, your money!’
Cothery’s attempts to fob off the highwayman with a couple of coins backfired when the fellow grew more aggressive. Little Ann Cothery became tearful and the man softened, saying ‘Don’t be frightened, Ma’am,’ but persisted in his demand. The Cotherys had only a few pounds. Fearing for their lives, they handed over the money and the robber galloped away towards London, as Cothery yelled ‘A Highwayman, A Highwayman!’
Some passersby on horseback gave chase. As the pursuit careered down Highgate Hill and into Holloway, the posse grew larger and a mad chase ensued, with the highwayman flying through turnpike gates and occasionally turning to fire his pistol. Eventually, his horse tiring, he was cornered in a brickfield to the north of Shoreditch and forced to surrender. Identifying himself as Thomas Broadhead, he was dragged to the magistrates’ office in Worship St and confronted by Justice Davy Wilmot, the much-feared and satirised magistrate of Bethnal Green.
Wilmot was an illiterate builder and slum landlord who had risen to the dizzy heights of the magistracy through a corrupt trade in verdicts, pardons and bribes. Broadhead was charged with committing multiple highway robberies that afternoon and, when he was tried a few weeks later at the Old Bailey, Henry Cothery and his wife were witnesses. The evidence was conclusive and, despite six character witnesses in his favour, Thomas Broadhead was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was executed in Newgate and we may presume his body was carted back to East Finchley and exhibited upon the gibbet at Six Mile Stone.”(c) Spitalfields Life
Further reading: Stick up at Six mile Stone by Julian Woodford
The Great North Road - David Smith - A Road to Nowhere - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The Great North Road - The North Road to Nowhere Mwaka 1300 hivi, askofu wa London aliunda njia mpya ya barabara kuu kutoka London kwenda kaskazini mwa Uingereza, ambayo ilikuja kujulikana kama Barabara Kuu ya Kaskazini. Ilianza katika Smithfield na kupita Islington, Highbury na Holloway, kando ya njia ya sasa A1, na kisha juu Highgate Hill, North Hill na akawa leo 'Great North Road kupitia Mashariki Finchley. "Map ya 1444 yanaonyesha daraja, baadaye linalojulikana kama ""Hanson Bridge,"" likivuka Mto Mutton, kijito cha Mto Brent, ambao huanzia katika Cherry Tree Wood." Mwanzoni barabara hiyo ilifuata mstari wa Market Place na The Walks hadi King Street, ambayo ilikuwa mpaka wa ardhi ya Askofu. Zaidi ya hatua hii barabara tu kufunguliwa nje juu ya Finchley kawaida. Kufikia mwaka wa 1712 barabara hiyo ilikuwa imezidi kuwa na watu wengi hivi kwamba kodi ilianzishwa ili kulipia matengenezo yake. Barabara ya East Finchley pia ilibadilishwa kufuata njia ya sasa ya A1000 High Road. Sehemu kutoka Hanson Bridge kaskazini iliitwa New Gate Lane na kufuatia mstari wa moja kwa moja kwa nini sasa ni makutano katika Fortis Green-East End Road, kupita kupitia toll gate karibu na ambapo kituo sasa anasimama. Umbali wa kaskazini ulipimwa kutoka Hicks Hall, mahakama ya zamani ya mahakimu wa Middlesex, ambayo ilikuwa upande wa kusini wa St John St, Smithfield, na ilikuwa imewekwa alama na jiwe kubwa - hatua ya msingi - kila maili. Mawe ya kwanza yaliwekwa katika Islington Green, ya pili katika Highbury Corner, ya tatu katika Holloway, ya nne chini ya Highgate Hill, ya tano katika North Hill na ya sita ambapo East Finchley High Road hukutana na mwisho wa Bedford Road. "Mwaka wa 1700, eneo la mashariki mwa Barabara Kuu ya Mashariki ya Finchley, linalojulikana kama ""Finchley Common,"" lilikuwa moja ya maeneo hatari zaidi huko London kwa sababu ya wezi wa barabara." Wezi waliopanda farasi kwa kawaida walitembea kwenye barabara kuu nje ya London ambapo kulikuwa na maeneo ya heath au misitu ya kujificha katika <unk> na Finchley kawaida ilikuwa moja ya maeneo yao ya kupendwa. Wahalifu mashuhuri wanaohusishwa na kawaida ni pamoja na Dick Turpin na Jack Sheppard. Mnyang'anyi maarufu Jack Sheppard alitoroka kutoka gerezani la Newgate mnamo Septemba 1724 akiwa amevalia mavazi ya mnyama na mavazi ya rangi ya bluu na nyeupe. Alipiga njia ya The Great North Road lakini alikamatwa tena huko East Finchley na kufungwa usiku kucha katika George Inn katika Soko la Nguruwe. Upande wa juu wa barabara, Oak Lane inaitwa baada ya Turpin's Oak, mti wa kale wa mwaloni ambapo Dick Turpin alisema kukaa. Mti huo ulipokatwa mwaka wa 1950, uligunduliwa kuwa umejaa risasi za zamani. Tatizo la waporaji wa barabara lilikuwa kubwa sana hivi kwamba mti wa kunyongwa ulijengwa kwenye Jiwe la Six Mile huko East Finchley. Hapa wanyang'anyi wa barabara waliuawa na miili yao ikaachwa ikining'inia kwenye minyororo ili kuwazuia wengine. "Kutoka kwa kitabu cha Julian Woodford ""Stick Up at Six Mile Stone"" kilichochapishwa katika Spitalfields Life, ""Kabla ya saa 5 jioni Alhamisi, Machi 11, 1773, Henry Cothering alikuwa akiendesha mkewe na binti yake wa miaka minne Ann katika gari ndogo ya farasi moja kuelekea nyumbani kwao katika Jiji la London, baada ya kutumia siku hiyo kumtembelea baba yake mzee huko Barnet." Walipokuwa wakikaribia Six Mile Stone, walikamatwa kwa ukosefu wa ustadi na mwanamume aliyekuwa amepanda farasi. "Cothery alikuwa akisema kwamba mtu huyo lazima awe amelewa alipogeuka, akachukua bunduki na kupiga kelele ""Acha, pesa zako!"" Jitihada za Cothery za kumnyang'anya mwizi huyo kwa sarafu chache zilishindwa wakati yule mtu alipokuwa na hasira zaidi." Little Ann Cothery akawa na machozi na mtu softened, akisema <unk>Don't be frightened, Ma'am,<unk> lakini aliendelea katika madai yake. Familia ya Cotherys ilikuwa na pauni chache tu. Wakiwa na hofu kwa maisha yao, walitoa pesa hizo na mwizi huyo akakimbia kuelekea London, huku Cothery akipiga kelele 'Mtu wa Barabara, Mtu wa Barabara!' Wakati wa kufuatilia Highgate Hill na Holloway, kundi hilo liliongezeka na kufuatilia kwa wazimu kulianza, na mwizi huyo akiruka kupitia milango ya barabara na mara kwa mara akageuka ili kufyatua risasi. Hatimaye, farasi wake alipochoka, alishikwa katika uwanja wa matofali kaskazini mwa Shoreditch na kulazimishwa kujisalimisha. Akijitambulisha kama Thomas Broadhead, alivutwa kwenye ofisi ya mahakimu katika Worship St na kukabiliwa na Jaji Davy Wilmot, mahakimu anayetishwa na kuchekeshwa sana wa Bethnal Green. Wilmot alikuwa wajenzi asiyejua kusoma na kuandika na mwenye nyumba ya slum ambaye alikuwa ameinuka hadi urefu wa magistracy kupitia biashara ya ufisadi katika hukumu, msamaha na rushwa. Broadhead alishtakiwa kwa kufanya wizi wa barabara nyingi alasiri hiyo na, alipohukumiwa wiki chache baadaye katika Old Bailey, Henry Cothery na mkewe walikuwa mashahidi. Ushahidi ulikuwa wa kuaminika na, licha ya mashahidi sita wa tabia kwa niaba yake, Thomas Broadhead alipatikana na hatia na kuhukumiwa kifo. "Alifungwa gerezani huko Newgate na mwili wake ulipelekwa East Finchley na kuonyeshwa kwenye mti wa Six Mile Stone, ""Stick Up at Six Mile Stone"" na Julian Woodford."