The first methods of road transport were horses, oxen or even humans carrying goods over dirt tracks that often followed game trail. The Persians later built a network of Royal Roads across their empire. Developed and became richer, especially with the Renaissance, new roads and bridges began to be built, often based on Roman designs. In the early 18th century the British Parliament began to pass a series of acts that gave the local justices powers to erect toll-gates on the roads in exchange for professional upkeep.The toll-gate erected at Wadesmill became the first effective toll-gate in England. The first scheme that had trustees who were not justices was established through a Turnpike Act in 1707, for a section of the London-Chester road between Fornhill and Stony Stratford. The basic principle was that the trustees would manage resources from the several parishes through which the highway passed, augment this with tolls from users from outside the parishes and apply the whole to the maintenance of the main highway. This became the pattern for the turnpiking of a growing number of highways, sought by those who wished to improve flow of commerce through their part of a county.