Lost Roads of the Cattle Drovers

Do you enjoy solving mysteries? Here’s one that will take you out into the fresh air for a walk through lush British countryside in search of clues.

Photo by Joe Cornish for the National Trust

Before the development of modern transport, handlers moved their livestock on foot from pasture to town along set routes now known as drover roads. Livestock might include cattle, sheep, pigs or even geese.

Of course many of these roads are still in use. But many more have vanished back into the landscape.

Bruce Smith, a retiree living near Brackley in Northamptonshire, began seeking out these lost roads in 2005. He shared his passion for the subject at the Buckinghamshire Family History Society meeting at the Queensway Methodist Church Hall in Bletchley.

On his web site, localdroveroads.co.uk, Mr. Smith says, “The main purpose of country roads used to be for moving beasts, so most of the roads we drive along were made by or for drovers. Ones not tarmacked are now byways or bridleways, many have vanished altogether or been built upon. But there is still a vast network criss-crossing the British countryside.

“To come across an old road untouched by the 20th century is for me an utter joy: 200 years seem to slide off my shoulders.”

To find the old roads, there are a number of clues. First, look at the place names. According to Mr. Smith, drover’s roads tend to be named lane or way. Some are obvious, such as Drovers Arms for an inn or Bullock Way. Place names in England that refer to Wales are also good clues. Rother, the old English name for cattle, is also a giveaway. Names that include ox, cow or cat (for cattle) are almost always indicators of the drovers’ routes.

Photo from localdroveroads.co.uk

Inns that catered to drovers tended to cluster at the edge of town, to ensure that the cattle had plenty of pasture for grazing. Generally these inns had plenty of outbuildings or pasture nearby.

Drovers would also plant a cluster of three Scots Pines to indicate an obscure turn or a favoured inn or grazing patch.

Another way to find an old drove road is to pay attention whilst driving. If the new road turns while the old road continues straight on, often the old road was a drove road.  Wide verges, once needed for grazing, are also a sign the road once served the drovers and their cattle. Narrow fields running parallel to a road may indicate old grazing routes. 

Mr. Smith has identified a number of drover’s routes in Buckinghamshire. Here is a link to his web site with photos and further information about the old roads.