How far is a mile? A country mile? And who created milestones? The Romans gave us the mile, originating from mille passus or 1000 paces. Over time, the actual length of a mile varied in different places.
The ‘statute mile’ was decreed in 1593 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1. Romans first erected milestones - stone markers at mile intervals to indicate distances, and it’s thought that over 100 of their cylindrical milestones still exist. Turnpike Trusts were set up between 1706 – 1840: groups of local people who raised money to build roads then charged tolls. Mileposts became compulsory on these routes to inform travellers and help calculate charges for tolls, horse-changes and even postage.
Markers that show a direction rather than distance are called guide stones or guide stoops. This lovely little stone is Grade 2 listed and probably 18th century. There are several similar ones nearby. The Milestone Society keeps records of them all, and helps to maintain and re-paint them.
And the country mile? No-one seems to really know and the most likely explanation seems to be that rural journeys are often more challenging or on winding roads so the country mile seems longer than a city one.