Travellers had to pay to use turnpike roads, which were barred by tollgates. One of the gates on the outskirts of Welshpool at Ceunant is shown in the photograph, which was probably taken around 1875.
They were only opened by the gate-keepers on payment of a sum of money which depended on whether the road users were carriages, carts, horse riders or farm animals. The money raised by the tolls helped pay for the repair and improvement of the most important routes.

The toll notice from the Leighton Gate, shown above right, can be seen at Powysland Museum in Welshpool. The charges listed here in 1835 included one shilling for every score (20) of oxen, cows or cattle being driven past the gate.
There were other rates for carriages, carts, and pack-horses or mules, which were often used to carry goods slung over their backs.

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