SG Heritage Dictionary

Highway [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. A public road; a way open to all passengers; so called, either because it is a great or public road, or because the earth was raised to form a dry path. Highways open a communication from one city or town to another.

2. Course; road; train of action.

Highway [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

A road or way open to the use of the public; a main road or thoroughfare.

Highwayman [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

One who robs on the public road, or lurks in the highway for the purpose of robbing.

Highwayman [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

One who robs on the public road; a highway robber.

Highwaymen [Plural] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Highwayman

Highways Encyclopedia Britannica

HIGHWAYS. A highway is a public road over which all persons have full right of way—walking, riding, or driving. See Roads. Such roads in England for the most part either are of immemorial antiquity or have been created under the authority of an Act of Parliament. But a private owner may create a highway at common law by dedicating the soil to the use of the public for that purpose; and, apart from any special dedication, the using of a road for a number of years, without interruption, will support the presumption that the soil has been so dedicated, and the road will be to all intents and purposes a public highway. At common law the parish is required to maintain all highways within its bounds; but by special custom the obligation may attach to a particular township or district, and in certain cases the owner of land is bound by the conditions of his holding to keep a highway in repair. Breach of the obligation is treated as a criminal offence, and is prosecuted by indictment. Bridges, on the other hand, and so much of the highway as is immediately connected with them, are as a general rule a charge on the county; and by 22 Henry VIII. c. 5 the obligation of the county is extended to 300 yards of the highway on either side of the bridge. A bridge, like a highway, may be a burden on neighbouring land ratione tenures. Private owners so burdened may sometimes claim a special toll from passengers, called a “toll traverse.”...

Extensive changes in the law of highways have been made by the recent Highway Acts, viz., The Highway Act, 1835 (5 and 6 Will. IV. c. 50), and the amending Acts of 1862 and 1864. It is no longer possible for a private owner, by dedicating a highway to the public, to make the charge of maintaining it a burden on the parish in all cases. To create a new highway of this character he must give three months’ notice of his intentions to the parish surveyor, and a meeting of vestry must then be called to consider whether the proposed highway is worth the expense of maintenance. Should the vestry decide against it, the charge of maintenance will not fall on the parish, unless the justices of the peace at the next highway sessions decide otherwise.

The leading principle of the Highway Act, 1835, is to place the highways under the direction of parish surveyors, and to provide for the necessary expenses by a rate levied on the occupiers of land. Two or more parishes may unite to form a district under a district surveyor, and large parishes may appoint more than one surveyor. It is the duty of the surveyor to keep the highways in repair; and if a highway is out of repair, the surveyor may be summoned before justices and convicted in a penalty not exceeding X5, and ordered to complete the repairs within a limited time. The surveyor is likewise specially charged with the removal of nuisances on the highway, or any obstruction or injury rendering it less commodious to the public. A highway nuisance may be abated by any person, and may be made the subject of indictment at common law. The Act contains provisions simplifying the process by which a highway may be widened, enlarged, diverted, or stopped. The amending Acts, while not interfering with the operation of the principal Act, authorize the creation of highway districts on a larger scale. The justices of a county may convert it or any portion of it into a highway district to be governed by a highway board, the powers and responsibilities of which will be the same as those of the parish surveyor under the former Act. The board consists of representatives of the various parishes, called “way wardens,” together with the justices for the county residing within the district. Salaries and similar expenses incurred by the board are charged on a district fund to which the several parishes contribute; but each parish remains separately responsible for the expenses of maintaining its own highways.

The Highway Act of 1835 specifies as offences for which the driver of a carriage on the public highway may be punished by a fine, in addition to any civil action that may be brought against him,—riding upon the cart, or upon any horse drawing it, and not having some other person to guide it, unless there be some person driving it; negligence causing damage to person or goods being conveyed on the highway; quitting his cart, or leaving control of the horses, or leaving the cart so as to be. an obstruction on the highway; not having the owner’s name painted up; refusing to give the same; and not keeping on the left or near side of the road, when meeting any other carriage or horse. This rule does not apply in the case of a carriage meeting a foot-passenger, but a driver is bound to use due care to avoid driving against any person crossing the highway on foot. At the same time a passenger crossing the highway is also bound to use due care in avoiding vehicles, and the mere fact of a driver being on the wrong side of the road would not be evidence of negligence in such a case. When there is a public crossing in a street, the driver is bound to use special care; and the expression has been used that a crossing is the special property of the foot-passengers.

The “rule of the road” given above is peculiar to the United Kingdom. Cooley’s treatise on the American Law of Torts states that “the custom of the country, in some States enacted into statute law, requires that when teams approach and are about to pass on the highway, each shall keep to the right of the centre of the travelled portion of the road.” The same appears to be the general rule on the continent of Europe.

The excessive use of the highway by acts which in moderation are lawful becomes a nuisance if it interferes with the public enjoyment of the roadway. Thus when a carrier, having warehouses on a public street, occupied one side of the street in loading and unloading his waggons several hours at a time, so that foot-passengers were incommoded and no carriage could pass on that side, although there was room for two carriages on the opposite side, this was held to be a nuisance; and Lord Ellenborough held it to be a nuisance for stage coaches to stop in the street for three-quarters of an hour taking up and setting down passengers, for the “king’s highway was not to be used as a stable-yard.” In the same way, at common law a tramway laid along a highway is a public nuisance, although it may be shown to be a common convenience. The construction of tramways is now authorized by 33 and 34 Vict. c. 78.

The Acts 24 and 25 Vict. c. 70, and 28 and 29 Vict. c. 83, regulate the use of locomotives on turnpike and other roads. No engine, so constructed as to be a public or private nuisance, is protected by these Acts. When horses had been frightened by a traction engine, and the jury found that it was likely to frighten horses and that the defendant knew it, he was held liable in damages.

Turnpike Acts.— Many of the more important highways are placed under the management of boards of commissioners or trustees. The number of local and general turnpike acts is very great. No fewer than thirty-three general acts are mentioned in the index to the statutes—the first and principal Act being 3 Geo. IV. c. 126. The trustees are required and empowered to maintain, repair, and improve the roads committed to their charge, and the expenses of the trust are met by tolls levied on persons using the road. The various grounds of exemption from toll on turnpike roads are all of a public character, e.g., horses and carriages attending the sovereign or royal family, or used by soldiers or volunteers in uniform, are free from toll. In general horses and carriages used in agricultural work are free from toll. By the Highways and Locomotives Act of 1878 (41 and 42 Vict. c. 77) disturnpiked roads are to become “main roads,” and half the expense of maintenance is to be paid out of the county rate. Ordinary highways may be declared to be “main roads,” and “main roads” may be reduced to the status of ordinary highways.

In Scotland the highway system will in future be regulated by the Roads and Bridges Act, 1878, which comes into operation at the latest on the 1st of June 1883, but may be adopted sooner in any county. From and after the commencement of the Act in each county, the management and maintenance of the highways and bridges shall be vested in the county road trustees, viz., the commissioners of supply, certain elected trustees representing ratepayers in parishes, and others. One of the consequences of the commencement of the Act is the abolition of tolls, statutelabour, causeway mail, and other exactions for the maintenance of bridges and highways; and all turnpike roads shall become highways, and all highways shall be open to the public free of tolls and other exactions. The county is to be divided into districts under district committees, and county and district officers are to be appointed. The expenses of highway management in each district (or parish), together with a proportion of the general expenses of the Act, shall be levied by the trustees by an assessment on the lands and heritages within the district (or parish).

Highway, in the law of the States of the American Union, generally means a lawful public road, over which all citizens are allowed to pass and repass on foot, on horseback, in carriages, and waggons. Sometimes it is held to be restricted to county roads as opposed to town-ways. In statutes dealing with offences connected with the highway, such as gaming, negligence of carriers, <fcc., “highway” includes navigable rivers. But in a statute punishing with death robbery on the highway, railways were held not to be included in the term. In one case it has been held that any way is a highway which has been used as such for fifty years. (e. r.)

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 11, p. 811
[1,756 words — estimated reading time: 11 minutes]

King James Bible KJV Bible

Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible

25 KJV and 19 BSB verses contain “Highway” — showing the first 20. Show all 32 verses (searchable)

Numbers 20:17

Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

Please let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”

Numbers 21:22

Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s high way, until we be past thy borders.

“Let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”

Judges 5:6

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways.

In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.

Judges 20:31

And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

Judges 20:32

And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

“We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”

Judges 20:45

And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.

Judges 21:19

Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

1 Samuel 6:12

And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh.

And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

2 Samuel 20:12

And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the road, and when the man saw that all the troops were stopping there, he dragged the body off the road into a field and threw a garment over it.

2 Samuel 20:13

When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

As soon as Amasa’s body was removed from the road, all the men went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

2 Kings 18:17

And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rab-shakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.

Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.

1 Chronicles 26:16

To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came forth westward, with the gate Shallecheth, by the causeway of the going up, ward against ward.

The lots for the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway fell to Shuppim and Hosah. There were guards stationed at every watch.

1 Chronicles 26:18

At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar.

As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court.

Proverbs 15:19

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.

Proverbs 16:17

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.

Isaiah 7:3

Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;

Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,

Isaiah 11:16

And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 19:23

In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

Isaiah 33:8

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. The treaty has been broken, the witnesses are despised, and human life is disregarded.

Isaiah 35:8

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it— only those who walk in the Way— and fools will not stray onto it.