Shelf Highways Composition Book 1781

A list taken from the Shelf Highways Composition Book for 1781. Every man in the village was required to work on the roads to keep them in repair, but by the late eighteenth century this system changed and they had to pay towards the upkeep of the roads instead. In 1781 they were required to pay two shillings each, and crosses next to their names indicate that almost everyone paid. This document seems to operate like a census of all the men in the village, and indicates in what area of Shelf each individual lived. It has been transcribed here including the original spellings and abbreviations. For example Thos Greenwood would be Thomas Greenwood and Wm Walker would be William Walker.