On the Trustees of the Swansea Turnpike and Wychtree-bridge Trust met, in the midst of the Rebeccaite uprising. The following excerpt comes from a Cambrian report on the meeting:
A petition, signed by a number of farmers and others, was presented to the
meeting, praying the Trust to remove the Wychtree-bridge Gate, as the tolls
exacted at that gate pressed very heavily on the farmers and others travelling
over that road. The petitioners maintained that the tolls were unjustly
exacted. After a long and desultory conversation, during which several
gentlemen made various suggestions as to the best means of removing the
grievance, it was agreed that a Committee… be appointed to confer with the
Trustees of the Neath Trust, on the practicability of making such arrangements
as will enable the Swansea and Neath Trusts to take upon themselves the debts
of the Wychtree Trust, with a view of doing away with the gate at the
Wychtree-bridge; also, that the clerk be directed to write to the clerk of the
Neath Trust, enclosing the resolution respecting the Wychtree Trust, passed at
this meeting, and requesting him to lay it before the Neath Trust, as easily
as possible. — The question of the expediency of removing the toll-bar at
Bolgoed, was also discussed. — Mr. Bullen, the contractor for the gates,
stated, that he would require from
20l. to
30l. as compensation
for the diminution of tolls which would result from its removal. Mr. M.
Philipps and other gentlemen thought that was rather an exorbitant demand for
the loss of the tolls for six months only; but Mr. Bullen assured the meeting,
that the coming six months, being the fruit season, was the part of the year
in which the greatest traffic took place through the bar in question, and that
the demand was not more than his actual loss would be. — A resolution was
ultimately passed, to the effect, that… a Committee [would] enquire into the
state of the toll-bar of Bolgoed, and to confer with Mr. Bullen; and that the
same Committee be empowered to agree with Mr. Bullen, as to the amount of
allowance to be made to him for the diminution in the collection of tolls at
that bar.
The Bolgoed toll-bar and toll-house were attacked about a week later. When the government finally got around to reforming the turnpike trusts , the Wychtree Bridge was converted into a county bridge.
