These Historical documents trace the Wilts and Berks Canal from its 1795 incorporation to its 1914 abandonment. Acts of Parliament regulated infrastructure, capital raises, and water rights. After railway competition caused its decline, the system was sold and eventually closed.
1. Purpose and Incorporation
The 1795 Act of Enablement authorizes the construction of a navigable canal to connect the River Thames (or Isis) near Abingdon, Berkshire, to the Kennet and Avon Canal near Trowbridge, Wiltshire. This project includes several "navigable cuts" to serve the towns of Wantage, Calne, and Chippenham. To manage this undertaking, the act incorporates a specific list of individuals into a "Body Politick and Corporate" known as the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation. This Company is granted perpetual succession, a common seal, and the legal authority to purchase and sell lands.
2. Engineering Powers and Infrastructure
The Company is granted extensive powers to design, build, and maintain the canal and its associated works. These powers include:
3. Financial Structure and Capital
The Company is authorized to raise £111,900 to fund the project, divided into one thousand one hundred and nineteen shares valued at £100 each. These shares are considered personal estate rather than real estate. If the initial sum is insufficient, the Company may raise an additional £150,000 through further contributions from the proprietors or by mortgaging the canal's tolls and rates as security. The act limits individual influence by prohibiting any proprietor from holding more than fifty shares, except those acquired through inheritance or marriage.
4. Tolls and Commercial Regulations
To generate revenue, the Company is entitled to collect tonnage and wharfage rates for all goods transported on the canal. The maximum rates are strictly regulated based on the type of cargo:
5. Water Management and Restrictions
The Company may draw water from springs and streams found within 2,000 yards of the canal or its branches. However, the act imposes significant restrictions to protect existing interests:
6. Governance and Committees
The Company's affairs are managed by a Committee of Management consisting of fifteen proprietors. For administrative purposes, the proprietors are divided into two classes: the Berkshire District and the Wiltshire District. Each district meets annually to elect five members to the committee, with the final five members elected at a general meeting of all proprietors. Voting rights are proportional to shareholding, with one vote per share up to a maximum of fifty votes.
7. Landowner Protections and Dispute Resolution
The act provides detailed mechanisms to protect the property rights of local landowners:
8. Navigation Rules and Penalties
The act establishes strict operational rules to ensure orderly use of the canal:
Reference: Parliament Public Act, 35 George III, c. 52. 30th April 1795.
The 1801 Wilts and Berks Canal Act empowered proprietors to raise £200,000 through new shares or promissory notes to complete construction. This legislation amended previous laws to manage debts, regulate tolls, and authorize specific navigable cuts and infrastructure.
1. Authorization to Raise Additional Capital:
The Act authorizes the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation to raise an additional £200,000. This funding is required because original cost estimates were insufficient, and the company has incurred various debts in the process of making and completing the canal.
2. Methods for Raising Funds:
The company is permitted to raise the necessary funds by creating new or additional shares of £100 each. They may also raise money through promissory notes of not less than £50 each, which carry a 5% annual interest rate and are repayable at the end of ten years.
3. Shareholder Rights and Priority:
Existing proprietors are given a six-week period of first refusal to purchase a proportional number of new shares before they are offered to the general public. Additionally, those holding promissory notes have the option to convert them into shares at the expiration of the ten-year term.
4. Debt and Land Offsets:
Proprietors who have previously lent money to the company or individuals who are owed money for lands taken for the canal are authorized to deduct these sums from the price of any new shares they subscribe to.
5. Recovery of Unpaid Calls:
The company is empowered to sue for unpaid money ("calls") on shares in His Majesty's Courts of Record. If calls remain unpaid for three months, the shares may be forfeited and sold at public auction, provided the forfeiture is declared at a general meeting of the Committee of Management.
6. Regulations for Bankrupt or Deceased Proprietors:
In cases where a proprietor is bankrupt or deceased and calls go unpaid for one year, the company may forfeit and sell those shares. If no bidders are found at auction, the shares may be "annihilated" and the names struck from the company books.
7. Disposal of Surplus Property:
The company is authorized to sell, lease, or mortgage lands, tenements, or buildings that were purchased but are no longer necessary for the canal's navigation or works.
8. Defined Canal Terminations:
The Act specifies the termination of the canal at Semington, where it joins the Kennet and Avon Canal. It also clarifies the termination points for the branches (cuts) leading to the towns of Chippenham and Calne.
9. Maintenance of Roads and Bridges:
The company is not liable for repairing roads leading to bridges once those roads have been initially put in good repair and used for six months. However, they must provide chains for swivel or draw bridges so they can be closed quickly after a vessel passes.
10. Compensation for Incapacitated Persons:
When compensation for land is owed to "Bodies Politick," infants, or lunatics, sums exceeding £200 must be paid into the Bank of England and managed by the Court of Chancery to ensure the funds are properly applied.
11. Administrative and Voting Changes:
The Act repeals previous limits on the number of shares (formerly a maximum of 50) an individual could hold. It also mandates that the determination of the majority of votes at company meetings shall be binding.
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 41 George III, c. lxviii (68). 20th June 1801.
This 1810 Act of Parliament serves to alter, amend, and enlarge the powers granted by two previous acts regarding the construction and maintenance of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation. Below is a numbered summary of the key provisions and historical context provided in the sources:
1. Project Scope and History:
The original project involved creating a navigable canal from the River Thames (or Isis) near Abingdon in Berkshire to join the Kennet and Avon Canal near Trowbridge in Wiltshire. The "Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation" was initially authorized to raise £111,900 in shares, with the power to raise an additional £150,000 if needed.
2. Repeal of Previous Coal Restrictions:
Under the original Act, there was a strict prohibition against conveying coal, culm, or cinders from the canal down the River Thames between Reading and London. This 1810 Act repeals that specific restriction, noting that allowing such transport as far as the City Stone above Staines Bridge would benefit both the Company and the surrounding country.
3. New Transport Limitations and Penalties:
While the old restriction was repealed, a new one was established: no coal, culm, or cinders from the canal may be carried down the Thames between the City Stone and London via barge or boat. Violators face the forfeiture of their vessel and its cargo, plus a £50 fine for the owner.
4. Validation of Financial Management: A later Act (41 Geo. 3. c. 68) had authorized the Company to raise another £200,000 and mandated that tolls and rates be distributed among proprietors as dividends. However, the Company instead used those funds to complete the canal works. This 1810 Act declares that application of funds to be valid and legal, despite the previous instructions to distribute them.
5. Procedures for Land Acquisition:
The sources outline legal protocols for when land titles are unclear or owners (such as those with disabilities) cannot legally execute a sale. In such cases, purchase money is to be paid into the Bank of England under the authority of the Court of Chancery. The person in possession of the land at the time of purchase is generally deemed the lawful owner unless the Court of Chancery proves otherwise.
6. Responsibility for Costs:
The Company of Proprietors is mandated to pay the costs and charges associated with obtaining and passing this 1810 Act. They are also responsible for the reasonable expenses incurred during land purchases involving owners with legal "incapacity or disability".
7. Public Act Status:
The legislation is officially designated as a Public Act, meaning it must be judicially noticed by all judges and justices without being specially pleaded.
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 50 George III, c. cxlviii (148). 2nd June 1810.
This 1813 Act amends legislation regarding the Wilts and Berks Canal. It prohibits the canal company from diverting water sources on specific estates in Shrivenham. The law mandates filling in unauthorized cuts and installing a pipe to ensure a constant water supply to local farms.
1. Failure of Previous Protections:
The original Act contained a clause intended to prevent the "Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation" from diverting water from estates in the Tything of Beckett belonging to Daines Barrington, Samuel Barrington, and the Bishop of Durham. However, these provisions were found "ineffectual" and resulted in "Great Detriment and Injury" to the estates.
2. Repeal and Stricter Prohibitions:
The 1813 Act repeals the original protective clause and replaces it with a stricter prohibition. The Company is forbidden from altering or diverting water from the Ashbury and Knighton streams that flow to the Beckett estate, with the specific exception of a stream called the Idston Brook.
3. Mandatory Remediation of Canal Works:
Within three calendar months, the Company is ordered to fill up, at its own expense, at least one hundred yards of a "Cut or Feeder" they had recently constructed. This cut was designed to divert water from the Ashbury stream into the Idston stream; the Act requires this to be filled so that no water from Ashbury is diverted in the future.
4. Requirement for Farm Water Supply:
The Company is further directed to install a one-inch diameter pipe through the dams of the Idston Stream to provide a constant water supply to a farm in Shrivenham occupied by Edward Warren. The Company must maintain this pipe at its own cost and ensure the water flow is never interrupted or diminished.
5. Legal Status as a Public Act:
This legislation is officially deemed a Public Act, meaning it must be judicially noticed by all judges and justices without being specifically pleaded.
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 53 George III, c. cxx (120). 3rd June 1813.
1. Purpose and Scope:
Passed on July 2, 1813, the Act authorizes the creation of a navigable canal intended to connect the Wilts and Berks Canal at Swindon to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton. This connection was designed to facilitate the transport of commodities and improve communication between South Wales, the counties of Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester, and the City of London.
2. Incorporation of the Company:
The Act incorporates a specific list of individuals into a "Body Politic and Corporate" known as "The Company of Proprietors of the North Wilts Canal Navigation". This company is granted the legal authority to purchase lands, sue and be sued, and maintain the canal for the passage of boats and barges.
3. Engineering and Construction Powers:
The Company is empowered to "bore, dig, cut, trench, and sough" the earth to create the canal, and to build necessary infrastructure such as tunnels, aqueducts, locks, wharfs, and weighing beams. They are also permitted to manufacture materials like bricks on-site during the construction phase.
4. Water Rights and Restrictions:
The Company may use water from springs and streams found within one thousand yards of the canal. However, they are strictly prohibited from taking water from the Thames and Severn Canal (except for "puddling" during construction) or the River Thames/Isis; instead, the primary water source must be the Summit Level of the Wilts and Berks Canal.
5. Land Acquisition and Compensation:
The Act provides detailed procedures for purchasing land from various owners, including "Bodies Politic" and trustees for incapacitated persons. To settle disputes regarding land value or damages, Commissioners are appointed, and if their determination is rejected, a Jury of eighteen men may be impaneled to assess the final compensation.
6. Financial Structure:
The Company is authorized to raise £60,000 for the project, divided into 2,400 shares of £25 each. If this initial capital is insufficient, they may raise an additional £30,000 through new shares or by mortgaging the navigation's tolls and rates.
7. Governance and Management:
Management is vested in a Committee of Management consisting of nine proprietors elected at general meetings. These meetings were initially designated to take place at The Goddard’s Arms Inn in Swindon. The committee has the power to appoint a Principal Clerk, Treasurer, and Engineers to oversee operations.
8. Tolls and Tonnage Rates:
The Act establishes specific rates for transporting goods: one shilling per ton for manure-related items (hay, straw, etc.) and road materials; two shillings per ton for coal, iron, and grain; and two shillings and sixpence for other commodities.
9. Navigational Regulations and Penalties:
Boat owners must paint their names and place of abode in large white letters on a black ground on the outside of their vessels. The Act imposes fines for various offenses, such as wasting water at locks, obstructing the canal with timber, or throwing rubbish into the water.
10. Protection of Private Interests:
Specific clauses protect the estates of local landowners; for instance, the Company must maintain an aqueduct or culvert over the Churn or Mill Stream for Lord Eliot and is restricted from taking certain streams flowing through the estates of Lord Redesdale.
11. Public Rights:
While the Company manages the infrastructure, the public is granted free liberty to navigate the canal with boats and barges, provided they pay the required tolls and follow the established rules and "Bye-Laws".
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 53 George III, c. clxxxii (182). 2nd July 1813.
This 1815 Act empowers the Wilts and Berks Canal Company to raise £100,000 to settle debts and complete works. It authorizes the creation of new shares or promissory notes secured by canal tolls. The law also allows investment in the North Wilts Canal Navigation.
1. Debt Resolution and Capital Authorization:
Passed on March 23, 1815, this Act (55° GEORGII III. Cap. vi.) was designed to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation to raise £100,000 specifically to discharge the company's existing debts. This was necessary because the funds raised under previous Acts were found to be "insufficient and inadequate" for the canal's completion and maintenance.
2. Creation of New Shares:
The Company was authorized to raise the required funds by creating new shares of £100 each. These new shares were to be added to the 10,000 shares already existing in the undertaking, and the holders would be entitled to the same profits and advantages as original proprietors.
3. Preference for Existing Shareholders:
Current proprietors were given the first right to subscribe to the new shares. They had a six-week window following a public notice in local newspapers (in Wilts and Berks) and London to claim these shares before they could be sold to the general public at the best available price.
4. Alternative Funding via Promissory Notes:
If deemed more expedient, the Company could instead raise the £100,000 through Promissory Notes. These notes had to be for at least £25 each, were transferable by endorsement, and carried an annual interest rate of 5% paid half-yearly.
5. Security and Debt Priority:
The canal's rates, tolls, and duties served as the legal security for the money raised via Promissory Notes. Crucially, the payment of interest on these notes took precedence over any dividends paid to the Company's proprietors.
6. Conversion Rights and Repayment:
Promissory notes were generally repayable at the end of ten years. However, note holders were granted the option to convert their principal investment into canal shares at the end of this term, provided they gave written notice to the Company's clerk at least one year before the ten-year period expired.
7. Legal Remedies for Creditors:
The Act provided strict protections for creditors; if interest remained unpaid for three months, or principal was not returned after ten years, creditors could apply to have a receiver appointed. This receiver would collect canal tolls and duties directly to pay off the arrears, salaries, and principal.
8. Investment in the North Wilts Canal:
Recognizing the benefit of a connection, the Company was authorized to subscribe up to £15,000 to the North Wilts Canal Navigation, which joined the Wilts and Berks Canal at Swindon. This allowed the company to hold shares and voting rights in that separate undertaking.
9. Establishment of a Sinking Fund:
The Company was empowered to create a Sinking Fund using surplus money from tolls. This fund could be used to purchase government securities or be reinvested into the canal for improvements, repairs, or increasing future dividends.
10. Administrative and Public Status:
The Act mandated that all new shares be numbered and recorded in a registry under the Company’s Common Seal. Finally, the Act was designated a Public Act, and the Company was responsible for paying all costs associated with its passage using the first money raised.
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 55 George III, c. vi (6). 23rd March 1815.
This 1821 Act of Parliament formally merged the North Wilts and the Wilts and Berks canal companies. It consolidated legal powers to maintain waterways, manage land acquisitions, and regulate water rights. The legislation also established financial structures for shareholding.
1. Incorporation and Name Change:
The Act, passed on June 8, 1821, officially incorporates the Company of Proprietors of the North Wilts Canal Navigation into the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation. The consolidated entity is legally recognized as "The Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation," and the former North Wilts Canal is designated as the "North Wilts Branch".
2. Consolidation of Authority:
It repeals several prior Acts that separately governed the two canals, bringing all their powers, provisions, and authorities into this single Act of Parliament. Despite this repeal, all prior purchases, sales, contracts, and legal proceedings remain valid and effectual.
3. Infrastructure and Maintenance Powers:
The United Company is granted full power to maintain, complete, and supply the canals with water. This includes authority to cleanse rivers, build reservoirs (specifically in the "Coat Valley"), erect steam engines, and construct feeders, aqueducts, and tunnels necessary for navigation.
4. Financial Structure and Capital:
The Act provides for the consolidation of shares and authorizes the company to raise up to £100,000 in additional funds through the creation of new shares or by issuing promissory notes. Shares are legally classified as personal estate, and the company is required to maintain detailed registers of all proprietors and share transfers.
5. Land Acquisition and Compensation:
The company is empowered to purchase lands necessary for the canal, with the width of the canal and towing paths generally restricted to thirty yards horizontally. If the company and landowners cannot agree on a purchase price or compensation for damages, the Act mandates that a jury be impanelled to settle the dispute.
6. Governance and Management:
The affairs of the company are managed by a Committee of Management consisting of fifteen proprietors. These members are elected from two residency-based classes: the "Proprietors of the Berkshire District" and the "Proprietors of the Wiltshire District". Voting rights are scaled; proprietors with two hundred or more shares have two votes, while those with fewer shares generally receive one vote per share.
7. Tolls and Commerce:
A standardized schedule of tolls and rates is established for the transport of goods. For example, materials like hay, straw, and manure are charged at a lower rate than commodities like coal, iron, or corn. The Committee of Management has the authority to lower or advance these tolls as business needs dictate.
8. Navigation Regulations and Penalties:
To maintain order, the Act sets forth strict rules for boat masters, including the requirement to paint the owner’s name and place of abode on the outside of the vessel. It also details procedures for passing through locks and establishes penalties for offenses such as obstructing the canal, damaging infrastructure, or evading tolls.
9. Environmental and Property Protections:
Specific clauses protect local water sources and properties, such as prohibiting the company from taking water from certain brooks during the summer months or damaging private gardens and timber without consent. The company is also required to maintain bridges and fences to prevent the canal from infringing on the use of adjacent meadows and lands
Reference: Parliament Local and Personal Act, 1 & 2 George IV, c. xcvii (97). 8th June 1821.
This 1835 Act of Parliament manages the Wilts and Berks Canal. It mandates share consolidation, defines voting rights, and sets tolls for goods like coal. The law also establishes operational regulations for boat safety, navigation hours, and penalties for misconduct.
1. Consolidation and Reduction of Shares:
The Act reduced the Company’s capital from twenty thousand shares to five thousand consolidated shares. For every four shares previously held, proprietors became possessed of one consolidated share, with fractional shares (three, two, or one) becoming three-quarter, half, or quarter shares respectively. Proprietors with 100 consolidated shares were granted 100 votes; those with fewer received one vote per share.
2. Administrative Regulations and Record Keeping:
The Company was required to enter all shares and proprietor details into a book to serve as evidence of title. Rules for interpreting the Act were established, specifying that singular terms include the plural and "Lands" includes tenements and hereditaments. Additionally, any five committee members were empowered to elect a Chairman.
3. Property Rights and Legal Proceedings:
A specific cut or branch of the canal in the Parish of Shrivenham, known as the Longcot Branch, was officially vested in the Company. For legal matters, the Clerk or Superintendent was authorized to act on the Company's behalf in bankruptcy cases, and shareholders or servants were deemed competent witnesses in disputes involving the Company.
4. Operational Rules for Navigation:
New regulations prohibited navigating with boats fastened together or without a rudder. Navigation was restricted to specific seasonal hours and prohibited on Sundays, Christmas Day, or Good Friday without written consent. Furthermore, specific age requirements were set for boat workers: haulers had to be at least 14 years old, and captains or steerers at least 18 years old.
5. Protection of Canal Infrastructure:
Strict rules were implemented regarding the use of locks, requiring the use of a windlass for paddles and the use of horses when approaching locks. It was forbidden to load or unload boats within locks or on the banks, or to moor boats near locks, bridges, or aqueducts. Wantonly opening drawbridges or leaving gates open was also penalized.
6. Public Conduct and Prohibitions:
The Act prohibited bathing in the canal and reservoirs, with offenders subject to arrest and potential hard labor. Unauthorized fishing with nets was also banned. Additionally, the Act forbade throwing rubbish into the canal or riding horses/vehicles on the towing path, except where it constituted a public road.
7. Wharfage and Warehousing Regulations:
Business hours at wharfs matched navigation hours. For safety, the use of lighted candles was restricted to lanterns, and sleeping or lighting fires on boats at wharfs was prohibited. Proprietors were granted the right to inspect Company books for a fee of one shilling.
8. Rates, Tolls, and Liens:
The Act established specific rates for various goods, such as coals (3d per ton), stone (6d per ton), and various seeds or grains. Goods left on wharfs for over 24 hours (if not transacted as part of regular business) were subject to charges. The Company held a lien on goods for unpaid dues and could sell items after three months to recover costs.
9. Enforcement and Recovery of Penalties:
Penalties and fines were generally recoverable through a Justice of the Peace. Fines were typically split: one moiety to the informer and the other to the Overseers of the Poor for the relevant parish. If offenders could not pay, they faced potential imprisonment for up to six calendar months.
10. Inter-Canal Cooperation:
To facilitate traffic between South Wales and London, the Thames and Severn Canal Company was authorized, with the Wilts and Berks Company’s consent, to alter locks and bridges to improve navigation between the two systems.
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 5 & 6 William IV, c. lix (59). 3rd July 1835.
The Wilts and Berks Canal Act of 1876 provides a structured framework for the transfer of the canal's operations to a newly incorporated company. Below is a numbered summary of the key provisions and contexts found in the sources:
1. Reason for Incorporation:
The Act was necessitated by the construction of the Great Western Railway, which had severely decreased canal traffic and reduced receipts to a level insufficient for maintaining the canal or yielding a profit. Consequently, the "Wilts and Berks Canal Company" was incorporated to purchase and maintain the undertaking.
2. Purchase Terms and Price:
The new Company was authorized to purchase the canal undertaking for the sum of £13,466 5s. This payment was required within two months of the Act's passing, with a 4% interest rate applied to any delays,.
3. Comprehensive Asset Transfer:
The sale included all lands, buildings (such as dwelling-houses and cottages), reservoirs, and waterways. Specific personal property listed in the schedule included a steam dredger, iron cranes at Abingdon, Swindon, Lacock, and Melksham, and all boats and tools belonging to the canal.
4. Financial Capital and Borrowing:
The Company’s capital was set at £30,000, divided into shares of £50 each. The Act granted the Company immediate borrowing powers of up to £4,489 (one-third of the purchase price) and additional borrowing powers of up to £5,500 once specific capital milestones were met.
5. Dissolution of the Original Company:
Upon completion of the sale and distribution of assets to shareholders, the original "Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation" was to be finally dissolved. Certain sections of previous Acts from the reigns of George IV and William IV were repealed as part of this transition.
6. Mandatory Maintenance:
A critical provision of the Act required the new Company to "at all times keep and maintain the canal" and all its associated works in good working condition to ensure it remained navigable for all persons desiring to use it,.
7. Legal and Operational Continuity:
To ensure a smooth transition, all existing bylaws, resolutions, conveyances, and contracts remained in force. Any ongoing legal actions involving the old company were to continue with the new Company substituted as a party.
8. Governance Structure:
The board was to consist of between five and nine directors, with the qualification for the role being the possession of at least ten shares. The Thames and Severn Canal Company was also granted the right to appoint one member to the board of directors.
9. Public Works and Infrastructure:
Local boards, such as the Swindon New Town Local Board, were granted the right to erect bridges or lay gas and water pipes over or under the canal, provided they did not permanently obstruct navigation or traffic.
10. Distribution of Proceeds:
The purchase money was used first to discharge the old company's debts and liabilities; the remaining balance was distributed rateably among the shareholders of the original company. Any funds unclaimed for twelve months were to be paid into the High Court of Justice.
Reference: Parliament Local Act, 39 & 40 Victoria I, c. lix (59). 27th June 1876.
The Swindon Corporation Act 1914 authorized the abandonment of the derelict Wilts and Berks Canal. It facilitated the transfer of canal lands and the Coate Reservoir to the local corporation for public use, debt clearance, and land disposal while ensuring water rights.
1. Purpose of the Act:
The legislation authorizes the transfer of the Swindon Canal site and Coate Reservoir to the Swindon Corporation, the abandonment of the remaining portions of the canal, and the eventual winding up and dissolution of the Wilts and Berks Canal Company.
2. Reason for Abandonment:
The canal system had become derelict and stagnant, posing a nuisance to inhabitants. This decline was attributed to a lack of maintenance funds and the loss of traffic following the construction of the Great Western Railway.
3. Financial Transfer:
The Swindon Corporation was required to pay the Canal Company £8,800 for the transfer of the Swindon Canal lands and Coate Reservoir.
4. Public Parks and Infrastructure:
The Corporation is empowered to use Coate Reservoir as a public park or pleasure ground and may charge for admission or activities such as boating and fishing. Additionally, the Corporation may fill in canal beds to lay out new streets or sell/lease the land for other purposes.
5. Water Supply Obligations:
Following the transfer, the Corporation must maintain a continuous daily discharge of 200,000 gallons of water into the eastern branch of the canal and 50,000 gallons into the western branch for agricultural purposes.
6. Protection of Private Interests:
The Act includes detailed protective clauses for various local landowners and estates, such as the Marquess of Lansdowne and the Rolleston Estate. These owners often retained rights of pre-emption, allowing them the first opportunity to purchase canal lands that intersected or abutted their property.
7. Winding Up the Company:
Once the transfer is complete, the Canal Company’s powers for maintenance cease, and it exists only to wind up its affairs. The Act establishes a ten-step priority list for distributing the Company's remaining assets, starting with payments to local authorities for bridge-related costs and ending with distribution among shareholders.
8. Management of Bridges:
Responsibility for many bridges carrying public highways over the canal was transferred to local authority bodies, with the Company providing a sum of £2,500 to be divided among them for bridge removal or maintenance.
Reference: Parliament Archive: Local Act, Swindon Corporation (Wilts. and Berks. Canal Abandonment) Act, c. cviii (108). 31st July 1914.