Lengthmen - Prize Length, Newport Division, 1943 - Newport, South Wales. The term Lengthsman was coined in the 18th century in a concept rooted in the Tudor Era as far back as War of the Roses and enclosure. Originally, it referred to someone who kept/maintained a 'length' of road neat, tidy and passable in the Middle Ages, with particular emphasis on boundary marking. Lengthsmen were used on canals and railways from the beginnings of both. On land, lengthsmen might be responsible for a few miles between adjacent villages and especially on commonage. Date: 1943