"My lady gave the coachman orders upon no account to let Mrs. Luttridge's carriage get before hers. Mrs. Luttridge's coachman would not give up the point either. My lady's horses were young and ill broke, they tell me, and there was no managing of them no ways. The carriages got somehow across one another, and my lady was overturned, and all smashed to atoms. Oh, ma'am," continued Marriott, "if it had not been for Mr. Hervey, they say, my lady would never have been got out of the crowd alive. He's bringing her home in his own carriage, God bless him!"
[Chapter 10, Belinda, by Maria Edgeworth]
Introduction
The first carriage ever seen in England was introduced by the Earl of Arundel, from the continent, in 1581, and over time they became popular with families who could afford to travel in such comfort.
By the end of the 18th century, many different styles of wheeled transport had been developed for a gentleman to buy. New models were being offered for sale all the time, and carriage makers were in a constant state of innovation and invention.
Carriage was a collective term for any vehicle that was made to carry people.
A gentleman's equipage was his carriage, horses, the coachman, (or groom) and all the bits of leather and harness that went with it; the whole ensemble.
"It was too early in the morning for visitors, and besides, the equipage did not answer to that of any of their neighbours. The horses were post; and neither the carriage, nor the livery of the servant who preceded it, were familiar to them."
[Chapter 56, Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen]
Livery was the matching uniforms worn by a coachman and footmen, or the postillions or tiger. Not all servants wore livery, but those owners who wished to flaunt their wealth would often provide it. The uniform generally consisted of two sets of clothing—double breasted coat, waistcoat and breeches—in the colour of their employer's choosing.
Those families who wished to own their own carriage had to be able to afford to keep one. A family with an income of £400 per year could afford to pay for a groom and keep a horse, while £1000 per year would allow you to keep a carriage and two horses. People who lived in towns would often hire a hack chaise and post horses as and when required.
An armigerous family would have their coat of arms fixed or painted on the door or side of the carriage, to show everyone who the carriage belonged to. A gentleman who did not have a coat of arms might indicate ownership with a monogram of his initials.
Buying a carriage
Buying a new carriage was a surprisingly similar experience to buying a new car today. Carriage makers offered a selection of prints, like a brochure, showing the latest designs, and prospective purchasers could take a test drive in a pattern carriage; a basic carriage of a particular design made without any of the additional options.
Although each type of carriage had a base price, there was a wide range of expensive extras and accessories you could order to personalise your purchase. This would make almost every gentleman's vehicle on the road unique. A brand new carriage, made to a gentleman's exact specification, and painted in their choice of colours, could take three or four months to complete, as each carriage was lovingly handmade by a group of skilled craftsmen.
In 1796, the base price for a simple four-wheeled town coach was £105 and 9 shillings. The same coach with crane-neck springs, for a more comfortable ride, was £121 and 14 shillings.
Once you'd decided between those options, a dazzling array of extras were on offer, including rounded sides, (£2) a sword case, (£2 10s) side windows, (£7) a rear window, (£2) a set of large scroll springs, (£4 16s) luggage boot, (£8) Morocco leather interior in place of second quality cloth, (£8) a set of silk squabs, or cushions, with half backs, (£4) Venetian blinds instead of mahogany shutters, (£2 15s) while an embossed crest, in silver, would set you back an additional £4 and 4 shillings. The extras could easily add thirty pounds or more to the base price of a carriage.
Fashions in carriage design changed frequently, and this built in an obsolescence similar to today's mobile handsets. Those families who could afford to buy a new carriage regularly would do so to keep up with the latest trends, and be seen in the most fashionable new models. This also stimulated the market in second-hand carriages.
Carriage makers would happily take an old carriage in part-exchange, although it was unlikely they would give much for it. If it was in good condition they would refurbish it and sell it on, Some unscrupulous sellers had as many tricks up their sleeve as a modern day used car salesman:
"Let no person venture to purchase without the advice of a Coachmaker. It is easy enough to make an old, worn-out carriage appear fresh and fair by the help of paint and putty, while at the same time, it may be more fit to be broken up than to be made use of."
[The Horse and Carriage Keeper's Oracle, by John Jarvis, 1828.]
The newspaper adverts offering second hand carriages for sale also have certain similarities to modern adverts. One example is this advertisement from the Morning Chronicle, of the 1st January 1810:
"LIGHT CHARIOT, barouche attached to the body, built for a pair of light blonde horses, painted yellow and black, elegant Morocco lining, nearly equal to new, price 130 guineas. A capital one horse chaise, whole panelled, very easy, hung on curricle springs, and long braces, with head &c., nearly good as new, and painted in yellow and black. At Turner's coach-maker, opposite Shoreditch Church."
And there was also a lively trade in second-hand coaches outside London, as shown in this advert from the Hampshire Chronicle, from 22nd March 1819:
"Chariot, Phaeton, &c. TO BE SOLD. — a handsome, light, second-hand chariot, with a coachman's seat attached to the front of the body, nearly as good as new.
Also, a handsome, light new PHAETON, with shafts or pole, for one or two horses, with a shifting head, and hind seat for a servant, if required.
Also, several good second-hand GIGS, newly painted and lined, and in every respect in complete repair. Inquire at Wm. King's Coach Manufactory, near the Red Lion Inn, Fareham, Herts."
As well as the coach makers, selling off older carriages taken in part-exchange, there were also Carriage Marts trading in second-hand carriages. One was the Grand Carriage Mart, located on the Barbican, in London's commercial area. Another carriage mart was operated by Messrs Randall and Sons, Pancras Street, off Tottenham Court Road.
A wealthy gentleman who had decided to marry would often buy a new coach for his bride, on the assumption that he would soon need a larger vehicle to carry a growing family.
Taxes
Carriage ownership generated income for the government. For each carriage owned there was an annual charge to pay:
"For every coach, berlin, landau, chariot, calash, with four wheels, chaise with four wheels, and caravan, or by whatever name such carriages may be called, kept by any person for his own use, or to be let out to hire, (except hackney coaches) shall be paid the yearly sum of £7. And for every calash, chaise, chair, gig or whiskey, or by whatever name they are known or called, having two or three wheels, to be drawn by one or more horses, that shall be kept by any person for their own use, or to be let out to hire, the yearly sum of £3 10s."
[Encyclopaedia Britannica: Or a Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Miscellaneous Literature 1810]
The best time of year to buy a carriage was April or May. This is because the annual tax period ran from April to April, regardless of when the carriage came into your possession. If you bought a carriage at the beginning of March you would have to pay a year's worth of tax for only one month's use.
The anatomy of a carriage
In its most basic form any type of carriage had two or four wheels. These were joined together by axles and a frame, which formed the under-carriage. In a two-wheeled carriage with one horse, two shafts extend from the front and were fixed to the sides of the horse by means of a harness, although most of the weight would be carried on the axle. With two horses a centre pole replaced the shafts, which the horses supported equally by carrying a bar across their backs.
The body of the carriage was either fixed to the under-carriage, or suspended above it by means of springs, to make a less bumpy ride. The head was the upper part of the body, or roof, enclosing the passengers. A folding head allowed the upper part of the body to open to the elements, such as in the landau. A hood was a softer, folding head that offered partial shelter from bad weather but did not entirely enclose the body.
Smaller carriages would be driven from the seat built into the body. An upright dashboard or dashing leather would protect driver and passenger from road dirt and splashes. Sometimes a driver would sit on a separate box seat, fixed in front of the body. It was normally positioned high, to allow the driver to see all the horses, but blocked the passengers from having a forward view.
Some carriages had no driver's seat. Instead, the carriage would be 'driven' by one or more postillion riders. These riders sat on a near side horse to control the movements of the carriage. One postillion would control a pair, and two were often used for a team of four horses. In this case the view of the passengers would not be restricted by the box seat, as described by Catherine Morland:
"The tediousness of a two hours' wait at Petty France, in which there was nothing to be done but to eat without being hungry, and loiter about without anything to see, next followed; and her admiration of the style in which they travelled, of the fashionable chaise and four—postilions handsomely liveried, rising so regularly in their stirrups, and numerous outriders properly mounted—sunk a little under this consequent inconvenience."
[Chapter 20, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen]
When visiting in a carriage you couldn't just park your carriage outside the house and leave it, like you would a car. Horses could not be left unattended under any circumstances. For morning calls, if visiting a house with its own stables then there would be a groom available to attend to the animals. In town, it was more usual to leave the horses in the care of your own groom or tiger, who would "walk" the horses to stop them getting cold.
Teams
A team of horses were two or more horses pulling a carriage. A pair of horses harnessed to a curricle could be called a team, just as four horses harnessed to a town coach were also a team.
A two-horse team (pair) would have a near-side horse—the horse nearest the side of the road—and an off-side horse, closest to the centre of the road.
A four-horse team (two pairs) had two horses on the near-side, and two on the off-side. The pair at the back, nearest the carriage, was known as the wheelers. They did most of the pulling and were responsible for providing the breaking needed to slow the carriage when it travelled down a hill. When a driver wished the horses to start moving, he would signal the wheelers to move.
The two horses at the front, furthest from the carriage, were called the leaders. The driver would instruct them, by use of the rein and whip, which direction to turn, and the wheelers would follow them. The leaders also provided additional pulling power when climbing a hill.
To drive unicorn meant to drive a three-horse team. This would have two wheelers and one leader harnessed centrally at the front. A three-horse team was difficult to control and often occurred when one of four horses fell lame during a journey. However some people, like Mrs Freke in Maria Edgeworth's "Belinda", chose to drive unicorn as a way of showing off their driving skill.
A matched team were a set of horses that were almost identical in colour and size. An unmatched team would often cost half the price of a matched team. Driving a matched team of horses was yet another status symbol that showed off the owner's wealth.
In 1773, the General Highways Act recommended that horse traffic (including horse-drawn vehicles) should drive on the left side of the road in Great Britain. By 1800, this recommendation had become a widespread practice, and in 1807 Henry Siddons included this common rhyme of the day in his play "Time's a Tell-Tale: A Comedy":
"The rule of the road is a paradox quite,
While driving your carriage along.
If you keep to the left you are sure to go right,
And if you go right you go wrong."
Two-wheeled carriages
The two-wheeled carriages were made with space for the driver, and usually one passenger. Depending on what extras were added when they were built, it might also have a small seat or platform at the back for a groom or a tiger.
A tiger was a boy, often dressed in livery, who looked after the horses and watched the carriage while his master was making calls that were too short to warrant putting the horses in a stable. Small boys were lighter and provided useful ballast on the back of a quick moving vehicle.
Two-wheeled carriages would either be pulled by one horse or two horses side by side. For longer journeys some one-horse carriages could be pulled by two horses in tandem. That means they were harnessed one behind the other rather than side by side, with the horse nearest the carriage pulling most of the weight. Horses driven in tandem were more difficult to handle, and would usually be driven by a man, rather than a woman.
A one-horse carriage was only used for short distances: a doctor visiting the sick, a clergyman calling on his parishioners, or a lady driving to visit a friend. For longer distances, and faster travel, at least two horses were necessary. The two horse curricle was the two-seater roadster of its day; a popular transport for young men wishing to drive (and be seen driving) fast.
Sulky - Dating from 1756, the sulky was a two-wheeled light carriage, drawn by a single horse. It was called a sulky due to the fact that the carriage was only large enough for only one person and obliged the rider to be alone. Early in the 19th century it was also known as a buggy.
Gig - This was a light, two-wheeled carriage, usually drawn by one horse, with room for the driver and one passenger Sometimes they added a folding hood to give some protection from the weather, in which case it might also be called a chaise. The body of a gig would hang, suspended by springs above the frame to give a more cushioned ride. The basic price for a gig in 1796 was just over £36.
A gig was popular with young men, but wasn't quite as dashing as a curricle. Knowing this, some coachmakers made gigs that looked like curricles, which I suppose was like putting racing stripes on an ordinary small car to make it appear more sporty. Certainly the styling appealed to the boastful John Thorpe in Northanger Abbey:
"What do you think of my gig, Miss Morland? A neat one, is not it? Well hung; town-built; I have not had it a month. It was built for a Christchurch man, a friend of mine, a very good sort of fellow; he ran it a few weeks, till, I believe, it was convenient to have done with it. I happened just then to be looking out for some light thing of the kind, though I had pretty well determined on a curricle too; but I chanced to meet him on Magdalen Bridge, as he was driving into Oxford, last term: 'Ah! Thorpe,' said he, 'do you happen to want such a little thing as this? It is a capital one of the kind, but I am cursed tired of it.' 'Oh! D--,' said I; 'I am your man; what do you ask?' And how much do you think he did, Miss Morland?"
"I am sure I cannot guess at all."
"Curricle-hung, you see; seat, trunk, sword-case, splashing-board, lamps, silver moulding, all you see complete; the iron-work as good as new, or better. He asked fifty guineas; I closed with him directly, threw down the money, and the carriage was mine."
[Chapter 7, Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen]
Tilbury - A modified gig, developed by Tilbury Coachbuilders of Mount Street, London in the early 1810s. The main difference between a gig and a Tilbury was its "tilbury seat", described as a "spindle-backed seat with a curved padded backrest". It was available with or without a hood, and still drawn by one horse. Its larger wheels allowed it to travel quickly over uneven roads. In 1818, the Prince Regent drove himself in a Tilbury every day in the park, "with his groom sitting by his side."
Whiskey - This light, two-wheeled carriage, drawn by one horse, looked similar to a gig. The difference was that the springs sat underneath the body, attached to the frame. The whiskey was popular as it was lighter and cheaper than a gig, and so named because it could "whisk" you along at a respectable speed. The basic price for a panelled whiskey in 1796 was almost £29.
Curricle - A light, two-wheeled carriage, drawn by two horses. In 1796 a basic curricle cost almost £40, and was the most expensive two wheeled vehicle. If the gig was a two-seater roadster, then the curricle was the equivalent of today's Ferrari. Some of Jane Austen's most eligible bachelors drove a curricle, including Mr. Darcy, Mr. Tilney, and Mr. Rushworth.
Dog-cart - A two-wheeled carriage, where the driver sat on a box seat. The box (sometimes called the boot) was ventilated at the sides, with a rear hinged door that flapped down, allowing a gentleman to safely carry his hunting dogs to a shoot, without risking them jumping from the carriage. Four-wheeled versions were also available with a longer wheelbase, allowing a second seat to be positioned behind the driver, facing backwards. Occasionally they were used to transport fighting cockerels to their fights, in which case it could also be called a Cocking-cart.
Four wheeled carriages
These carriages were larger, and often able to carry more passengers. The rear wheels would be fixed, while the front wheels could turn to make cornering easier. Because of this the front wheels were smaller than at the back, so they could move beneath the body.
Some four-wheeled carriages sat two passengers facing forward, although they could probably squeeze in three at a push. Others added fold down seats, to temporarily expand the seating available from two to three or four seats. These would most often be used by children, servants, or young gentlemen. Vis-à-vis carriages had two seats facing each other, allowing the carriage to carry four or six passengers.
Summer carriages were either open to the elements, or had limited protection from the weather, such as a soft folding hood. Closed carriages allowed for all weather travel.
Phaeton - (pronounced fay-tn) A light four-wheeled, two-seat carriage, self-driven, and dating from the 1740s. The name was taken from the Greek Phaethon, the son of Helios and Clymene, who tried to drive his father's sun-chariot but crashed after almost setting fire to the whole earth. Phaetons were open vehicles, although a dashing leather or wooden dashboard rose from the footboard to protect the driver from splashes. Sometimes they were fitted with a sun-shade or an open-sided canopy.
Phaetons came in a baffling array of shapes and sizes. A gentleman might choose a sporty, high perch phaeton, harnessed to a highly-bred team of four, while a demure lady might ride at a more sedate pace in a low phaeton pulled by two ponies.
The High Perch Phaeton was a light, sporty four-wheeled carriage, which could be pulled by one, two or four horses. It was also known as a High Flyer. The crane-necked springs would hold the body of the carriage above the horse's backs, (at least five feet off the ground) and due to this high centre of gravity they were notorious for tipping over.
"From this Dilemma I was most fortunately relieved by an accident truly apropos; it was the lucky overturning of a Gentleman's Phaeton, on the road which ran murmuring behind us. It was a most fortunate accident as it diverted the attention of Sophia from the melancholy reflections which she had been before indulging. We instantly quitted our seats and ran to the rescue of those who but a few moments before had been in so elevated a situation as a fashionably high Phaeton, but who were now laid low and sprawling in the Dust."
[Love and Freindship, by Jane Austen]
A standard Phaeton was still a light, sporty carriage for two people, but its lower centre of gravity made it safer than the high perch phaeton. The body of the carriage would hang level with the horse's body, so the driver could still see the road in front over their heads. The base price for a small phaeton in 1796 was just over £37, while a large phaeton would cost almost £48.
The Low Phaeton or Park Phaeton was built in a very similar way to the standard Phaeton, except it sat much closer to the ground, on smaller wheels, and the driver and passenger would be looking past the horse's heads. These low phaetons were often pulled by ponies, as Aunt Gardiner mentioned in Pride and Prejudice:
"Pray forgive me if I have been very presuming, or at least do not punish me so far as to exclude me from P. I shall never be quite happy till I have been all round the park. A low phaeton, with a nice little pair of ponies, would be the very thing."
[Chapter 52, Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen]
A Sociable Phaeton was a standard or low phaeton with an additional body added behind the main body to seat two additional passengers, or servants. A Shooting Phaeton was similar to a Sociable, but it added one extra seat behind for a passenger or servant.
Chariot - This was a four-wheeled carriage, with one forward facing seat, big enough for two or three passengers. It was also known as a Chaise, (pronounced shayz) from the French chaise, meaning chair. The chariot or chaise was a popular vehicle with gentlemen and small families who required an all-weather carriage for travelling. In 1796 the base price of a chariot was £93.
The chariot or chaise had a closed body, often with windows at the front so the passengers could see the direction they were travelling in. Instead of a box seat for a driver, it was directed by postillions, who rode the horses. It could be pulled by two horses or a team of four for longer distances.
In the early years of the Regency, a two person chaise could carry three people by means of a bodkin seat, (an optional extra costing 10 shillings 6 pence) which pulled forward from the main bench seat, so the occupants were not sitting shoulder to shoulder. Later, they could instead be fitted with a ten-inch wide fold down seat under the front windows, to provide temporary additional seating for short journeys. They would be most often used by servants, children or young gentlemen, but also came in handy on longer journeys:
"... this addition is especially desirable in a Travelling Chariot, as by sitting in one corner of the Carriage, you may put your Legs upon it and take a Nap very comfortably."
[The traveller's oracle; or, Maxims for locomotion. Pt.1, by W. Kitchiner, pub 1827]
In Jane Austen's works, Mrs Jennings (Sense & Sensibility) and Mr. Rushworth, (Mansfield Park) both owned a chaise. In Pride and Prejudice, Lady Catherine travels to Longbourn in a chaise, while the arrival of Mr. Bingley includes mention of his chaise and four horses, suggesting he had travelled some distance:
"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas."
A Landaulet, or Demi-Landau, was a four wheel carriage built in the style of a chaise or chariot, with one seat facing forward. However, instead of being fixed the head could be folded back, in the style of a Landau. In 1796 the base price of a demi-landau was £107.
Calash - Defined in the 1797 dictionary as a small carriage of pleasure, the calash had vis-à-vis seating for four passengers, a separate box seat for the driver and a soft folding hood covering the front-facing seat only. The calash was a forerunner of the barouche, which appeared in 1801.
Barouche - (pronounced ba-roosh) A mid-sized four-wheeled summer carriage, pulled by four horses, which first appeared in England in 1801. Its name came from the dialectal German barutsche. Similar in style to the smaller Georgian calash, it sat four passengers vis-à-vis, and provided a hood that could be raised to cover the forward facing seat only. The driver sat on a box seat, which must have been large enough to take a second servant, as described by Lady Catherine de Bourgh, in Pride and Prejudice:
"...if you will stay another month complete, it will be in my power to take one of you as far as London, for I am going there early in June, for a week; and as Dawson does not object to the Barouche box, there will be very good room for one of you — and indeed, if the weather should happen to be cool, I should not object to taking you both, as you are neither of you large."
A Barouche-landau was a barouche with two hoods, covering both seats, which met in the middle. It provided an element of protection against the unpredictable British weather, but was not sufficiently weatherproof to make the carriage useful outside the summer months.
In Jane Austen's Emma, the boastful Mrs Elton took care to mention her brother's barouche-landau as being perfect for fair-weather travel:
"My brother and sister have promised us a visit in the spring, or summer at farthest," continued Mrs. Elton; "and that will be our time for exploring. While they are with us, we shall explore a great deal, I dare say. They will have their barouche-landau, of course, which holds four perfectly; and therefore, without saying anything of our carriage, we should be able to explore the different beauties extremely well. They would hardly come in their chaise, I think, at that season of the year."
Berlin - Also known as a Berline, this was a small, older enclosed coach, dating from the 1690s, so called because it was introduced in Brandenburg, around 1670. By the time of the Regency, it was replaced by more fashionable styles of carriage. There were two facing benches, probably large enough to take one per seat in comfort, or two small people on each side at a squeeze. During the Regency period, an older couple might own a Berlin.
Coach - An enclosed carriage, drawn by two or four horses, this was the standard mode of transport for a wealthy family. Also known as a closed coach, the hard fixed roof and glass windows made travel comfortable and possible in all kinds of weather. Depending on the size it could seat four or six people.
A town coach could be smaller and lighter, drawn by two or four horses. It was particularly useful for transporting its owners around town in any weather. If a family could only afford one coach, then for convenience it would often be a town coach.
A travelling coach would be slightly larger, and more comfortable for a family who perhaps travelled some distance from their country residence. It would be pulled by four or six horses.
Landau - A type of four-wheeled carriage, originally from Landau, a town in Bavaria where they were first made in 1743. The Landau was a convertible carriage, meaning it had two hoods covering both the forward and rearward facing seat, and both hoods could be folded back when the weather was nice. Unlike the Barouche, the Landau was made to be weatherproof when the hoods were raised and joined together. This type of carriage could be used all year round.
The folding head was covered with thick, black leather, and the carriage was generally heavier and more expensive than a similar sized coach with a fixed head. The base price for a landau in 1796 was £120, or £136 with crane neck springs.
~~~~~~
[Image: "A modern curricle, designed expressly for Le Beau Monde Literary and Fashionable Magazine, 1808. Personal collection]
Edited to add details of the three-horse team. (unicorn)
Edited to add details of the Prince Regent driving a tilbury.