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In the early 1600s the only form of public transport was the carriers wagon or horse and cart. But by the 1660s the stagecoach, though still in its infancy, had made its entrance.
Early coaches were primitive affairs. A wood and leather body slung by leather straps was supported by four upright posts attached to an undercarriage, and beneath this a central beam, known as the ‘perch’, allowed for front swivelling wheels and fixed rear wheels. Suspension was still a long way off at this time and to travel in one of these coaches along unmade roads was a bone-shaking experience. Most journeys were only attempted in summer, but even in good conditions many of these early coaches fell apart along the route.
Only after 1702, when the role of Turnpike Trusts was fully implemented, did roads improve sufficiently to allow faster and slightly more comfortable travel. Throughout the 1700s stagecoach design improved dramatically and by the end of that century different construction methods had turned these vehicles into robust and practical carriers of people. Stagecoach drivers, renowned for their superb horsemanship, soon became masters of the road.
However, not until the early 1800s when road-builders Metcalf, Telford and Macadam had improved the highways beyond all recognition, did travel become ‘almost’ pleasurable. Combined with the addition of suspension in the form of a C-spring, and later the elliptic spring, coaches were able to attain speeds of up to 10 mph – cutting journey times by hours and in some cases days. What had been a two day journey from London to Cambridge (61 miles) in 1750, was possible in just seven hours by 1820.
London predominated as the hub of all stagecoach services up until the 1750s, but within ten years the number of provincial links had increased dramatically and stagecoach services were operating between all major towns and cities. Local services were still served by carrier’s carts, generally operating between public houses, but the much larger inns, offering accommodation and fine food, were always the starting and terminating points for those travelling longer distances.
To counter the population’s desire to travel, stagecoach capacity was also increased. The maximum number of six passengers able to be carried in the 1740s was increased to eight or ten (inside and out) by the end of the century, and by 1810 coaches were large enough to carry up to eight people inside in ‘reasonable’ comfort, with eight more taking their places outside – open to the elements but at a much reduced fare. There were accidents, though. Carrying so many people, as well as their luggage, often led to stagecoaches tipping over on the more winding roads.
Journeys were also invariably long and tedious and frequent stops were made at pre-determined inns along the way. Tired horses would be changed for a fresh team and passengers were allowed 10–20 minutes for refreshment and food. For innkeepers the stagecoaches were a lucrative trade, a prime example being the inns at Hockerill crossroads – particularly the Crown (See Guide 9 – The Crown Inn).
Although the coaching era spanned 200 years, the real boom was between 1810 and 1830. During this time a nationwide network of services had been formed and some 3,000 coaches, both private and mail, were employed in the transportation of people. Freight continued to be carried by the more efficient canal system until the 1830s but then went by rail, as did the mail from London. It was the arrival of the railways that put the final nail in the stagecoach coffin, for although they continued to be used in rural areas for some years to come, most people wanted to travel by rail.
The following entries are taken from four separate trade directories for Bishop's Stortford, published in the early 19th century. Not only did these directories list the names of trade and business people in the town, they also included a timetable for privately owned stagecoaches leaving Stortford for London and the towns and villages of Essex and East Anglia. Note the marvelous names (in italic) that owners gave their stagecoaches.
A similar timetable was given for Carriers. Also privately owned, these horse-drawn wagons usually conveyed people to more local destinations – their pace much slower than stagecoaches and the fare far cheaper. Also shown was 'Water Conveyance', whereby members of the public could travel to London by barge via the rivers Stort and Lea. We can only guess at the cost and the time it would have taken to complete such a journey.
1823 Pigot's Directory
COACHES:
POST OFFICE – North Street, James Summers, Post Master. London Mail arrives at three in the morning, and departs at midnight.
LONDON, from the George Inn, daily – (Sunday excepted) at half-past seven and eight in the morning.
LONDON, from the King's Head, daily – (Sunday excepted) at a quarter before eight in the morning.
Coaches to and from London through Hockerill every two hours.
CARRIERS:
LONDON, George Flack, Potter Street, every Monday and Friday.
Waggons to and from London daily through Stortford.
1829 Directory
COACHES:
POST OFFICE – James Summers, Post Master, North Street. London mail arrives at half-past eleven at night, and is dispatched at ten in the evening.
To LONDON, Henry Gilbey, from his own house, daily to the Bull, Whitechapel; and from the Crown Inn, Hockerill, Bishop's Stortford, to the George and Blue Boar, Holborn, and Green Dragon, Bishopsgate Street.
CARRIERS:
To London, John Crabb, Potter Street, twice a week.
WATER CONVEYANCE:
Barges from Taylor & Son's wharf and Joseph Miller's and Benjamin Miller's, South Street, to Blackwall, Greenwich, &c, days uncertain.
1839 Directory
COACHES:
POST OFFICE, North Street, James Hillatt Summers, Post Master – Letters from London arrive (by Norwich and Newmarket mail) every night at eleven, and are despatched every morning at three. Letters from Ware and the North arrive every night at eight, and are despatched every morning at seven. Letters from all parts of ESSEX & SUFFOLK arrive every morning at eight & are despatched every evening at six.
To LONDON, the Royal Mail and the Magnet (from Norwich), call at the Crown Inn, Hockerill, every morning at half-past two – the Times (from Cambridge), every morning (Sunday excepted) at half-past eight, and the Fly, at half-past twelve – and the Hero (from Fakenham & Swaffham), every evening (Sunday excepted) at a quarter past five.
To LONDON, a Coach from the George Hotel, every morning (Sunday excepted) at eight – and other Coaches, every Monday morning at five and six – the Marquess Cornwallis (from Bury), calls at the George Hotel, every afternoon at two – a Coach (from Haverhill), calls at the Chequers, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at twelve – and the Telegraph (from Norwich), calls at the Cock, every afternoon at three; all go through Sawbridgeworth, Harlow & Epping.
To BURY ST EDMUNDS, the Marquess Cornwallis, from the George, every day at twelve; goes through Chesterford & Newmarket.
To CAMBRIDGE, the Fly (from London), calls at the Crown, every afternoon (Sunday excepted) at a quarter before two – & the Times, every evening (Sunday excepted) at a quarter past five; both go through Stansted, Newport & Chesterford,
To FAKENHAM and SWAFFHAM, the Hero, from the Crown, every morning, at a quarter before ten; goes through Chesterford, Cambridge & Newmarket.
To HAVERHILL, a Coach (from London), calls at the Chequers, every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday afternoon, at two; goes through Newport & Saffron Walden.
To NORWICH, the Royal Mail, (from London), calls at the Crown, every night, at half past eleven, and the Magnet, at eleven – and the Telegraph, calls at the Cock, every morning at half-past ten; all go through Quendon, Chesterford & Newmarket.
To SAFFRON WALDEN, a Coach, from the George Hotel, every evening (Sunday excepted) at half-past six.
CARRIERS:
To LONDON, John Mysom's Waggons, from his house, Hockerill, & John Crabb, from his house, North Street, every Monday & Thursday; and Acorn & Bell's Waggons, and William Gore, from the Red Lion, every Tuesday and Friday.
To LONDON, Charles Adams, from the Cock Inn, Hockerill, and Issac Bontell, from the Red Lion, Hockerill, every Monday – John Parish, from the Cock Inn, and John Pilgrim, from the Red Lion, every Tuesday – Samuel Fordham and Joseph Pilgrim, from the Cock Inn, and Joseph Ruse, from the Red Lion, every Wednesday; and William Cockerton & James Clements, from the Red Lion, every Friday.
To CHESTERFORD, John Pilgrim, from the Red Lion, every Thursday, and Joseph Pilgrim, from the Cock, every Friday.
To HAVERHILL, William Cockerton, from the Red Lion, every Sunday.
To LINTON, Samuel Fordham, from the Cock Inn, every Friday.
To NEWMARKET, William Gore's and Acorn & Bell's Waggons, from the Red Lion, every Wednesday and Saturday.
To SAFFRON WALDEN, Chas Adams, from the Cock, every Wednesday, and John Parish, every Thursday.
To SOHAM, James Clements, from the Red Lion, every Sunday.
To SWAFFIELD, Joseph Ruse, from the Red Lion, every Friday.
To THAXTED, Issac Bontell, from the Red Lion, every Wednesday.
CONVEYANCE BY WATER by the River Stort:
To LONDON, from the wharfs of Reginald Jennings and Taylor & Son
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