Regency Trivia – Carriages for Around the Town

Now that we’ve arrived wherever we were going, it’s time to put our traveling coaches away for a while and focus on local travel. For that we must have, at the very least, a town coach.

The town coach was a fully enclosed vehicle driven by a pair. It would normally have a box for the coachman, and a platform on the back for footmen. If the owner had a crest, that would be painted on the sides. I was unable to find an image for an interior, but as they were all bespoke, they could be as ornate or plain as the owner wished. Once discarded, many town coaches were used as hackneys (the Regency version of a taxi). These types of coaches were used in the country as well.

A town coach was indispensible. It carried one to balls and other evening entertainments, shopping, and to other visits. Unless she was betrothed, no unmarried young lady was allowed to travel in a town coach with a gentleman who was not a near relation or her guardian. If she was engaged, she could be alone with her betrothed. To do so would court either ruin or a quick trip to the altar.

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Regency Trivia – Traveling Chariots

For those who didn’t need the space of a traveling coach, there was the travelling chariot. What was the difference between a chariot and a coach? The size and weight. A chariot was made for one or, at the most two people traveling. For distances, it would be pulled by a team of four horses. Otherwise, it could be pulled by a pair.

An unmarried lady would not be able to ride in a chariot with a gentleman who was not her brother, father, uncle, or guardian.

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Regency Trivia – Coaches

Regency Trivia – Coaches

 

Traveling Coaches

 

Of all the privately owned coaches and carriages these were the largest. Bear in mind that every coach was bespoke. There are accounts of traveling coaches having seats that made in to beds, built in shelves and tables, hidden compartments, holders for hot bricks in the floor, and storage under the seats, just to name a few amenities.

 

A traveling coach was driven by a coachman and would have been powered by a team of four or six horses. If the owner made frequent trips to the same places, they’d post horses along the route in order to ensure they wouldn’t be held up waiting for replacements.

 

The body of the coach was large and enclosed. Glass windows were generally set in the doors and sides of the coach and covered with either leather or cloth shades or curtains. Velvet was a common covering for the benches and cushions, although, leather was also used.

 

Ladies or the most ranking person was seated in the forward facing seat. Gentlemen or lesser ranking persons sat in the backward facing seat. An unmarried lady could not ride alone in a coach with a gentleman who wasn’t either her guardian or a close (brother, father, uncle, grandfather) relative without courting ruin. However, a betrothed lady could ride in one alone with her betrothed for very short distances.

 

If the owner was a peer or a widow of a peer, a crest would be drawn out on the side panels, generally in gold.

Some of these photos are from coaches that were slightly later than the Regency, but the’ll give you and idea.

 

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Regency Trivia – Carriages for the Country!

 

As you can imagine, county carriages served a different purpose than Town carriages. Serviceability on country roads and lanes was more important than looks. Although, that doesn’t mean one would necessarily give up style completely.

One of the more popular carriages was the gig, a two wheeled vehicle drawn by one horse. The seat rose above the wheels and was wide enough for two people. They were also fitted with a small platform on the back, presumably to carry purchases made in a village or other items. Gigs could also be fitted with thick panes oil lamps known as “gig lamps” for nighttime travel.

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Join the Summer Fun Web Hunt 2018!

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Regency Trivia – Sporting Carriages III

The Tillbury

In 1820 the carriage maker Tillbury developed a sporting vehicle by the same name. The Tillbury had no boot, making it unsuitable for carrying anything. It also had a rib-chair body. It was a popular carriage for rough roads as it was supported on seven springs. Unlike a gig, it could be driven with one horse.

If you’re a Georgette Heyer reader, you might remember that in The Grand Sophy, she take her cousin’s new Tillbury for a joy-ride.

As with the other sporting vehicles, a chaperone was not needed.

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Regency Trivia – Sporting Carriages II

The Curricle

For those who didn’t feel the need to challenge their driving skills, or wanted a more stable vehicle, there was the curricle. It was light, had only a single axle and two wheels. It was large enough for the driver and one other passenger. Many curricles had cabriolet tops that could be raised in the event of rain. A curricle was typically driven by a matched pair.

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Regency Trivia – Sporting Carriages

As I mentioned in the last post, both ladies and gentlemen drove sporting carriages. The one thing sporting vehicles all had in common was that they were driven by the lady or gentleman, not by a coachman. Therefore, a lady did not require a groom or other chaperone.

Sporting carriages were divided into two groups, those that were typically driven in the country and those usually driven in Town. We’ll discuss Town carriages first.

The most fashionable, and hardest to drive properly, was the high-perched phaeton. It had no convertible top like many of the other carriages had. The frame was light and hung over two large wheels in the back and two smaller wheels in the front. The distance to the floor of the carriage could easily be five feet. The carriage could be driven by one horse, but if one wished to be known as a “notable whip”, one drove the carriage with a pair. High-perched phaetons were notorious for being easy to tip over, especially when rounding corners.

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Believe in Me – Cover Reveal!!

I have a cover and a release date (29 February) for Believe in Me!! And it’s on pre-order

Marriage has worked out quite nicely for her older sisters, yet Lady Augusta Vivers is certain it would end her studies in languages and geography, and stop her from travelling. But when her mother thwarts her plan to attend the only university in Europe that accepts women—in Italy—she is forced to agree to one London Season. Spending her time at parties proves an empty diversion—until she encounters the well-traveled Lord Phineas Carter-Wood. Still, Europe awaits . . .

Phineas has studied architecture all over the world, yet Augusta is his most intriguing discovery yet. How can he resist a woman who loves maps and far-off lands? But her longing for all things foreign hinders any hope of courtship. When he learns her cousins have offered a trip to Europe, he secretly arranges to join their party. For he is determined to show Augusta that a real union is a thrilling adventure of its own. And when their journey is beset by dangerous obstacles, he gets far more opportunity than he bargained for . . .

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