Stagecoach
The first crude depiction of a coach appeared in an English manuscript from the 13th century. This image marked the earliest known visual record of such a vehicle, though it lacked the sophistication of later designs. The first recorded stagecoach route in Britain started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith. This initial journey established a pattern for future public transport networks across the island.
By the mid 17th century, a basic stagecoach infrastructure had been put in place. A string of coaching inns operated as stopping points for travellers on the route between London and Liverpool. The stagecoach would depart every Monday and Thursday and took roughly ten days to make the journey during the summer months. Stagecoaches also became widely adopted for travel in and around London by mid-century and generally travelled at a few miles per hour.
Shakespeare's first plays were performed at coaching inns such as The George Inn, Southwark. By the end of the 17th century stagecoach routes ran up and down the three main roads in England. The London-York route was advertised in 1698. The novelty of this method of transport excited much controversy at the time.
Robert Hooke helped in the construction of some of the first spring-suspended coaches in the 1660s. Spoked wheels with iron rim brakes were introduced, improving the characteristics of the coach. Steel springs had been used in suspensions for vehicles since 1695. Coachbuilder Obadiah Elliott obtained a patent covering the use of elliptic springs which were not his invention.
His patent lasted 14 years delaying development because Elliott allowed no others to license and use his patent. Elliott mounted each wheel with two durable elliptic steel leaf springs on each side and the body of the carriage was fixed directly to the springs attached to the axles. After the expiry of his patent most British horse carriages were equipped with elliptic springs.
The period from 1790 to 1830 saw great improvements in the design of coaches, most notably by John Besant in 1792 and 1795. His coach had a greatly improved turning capacity and braking system, and a novel feature that prevented the wheels from falling off while the coach was in motion. Besant, with his partner John Vidler, enjoyed a monopoly on the supply of stagecoaches to the Royal Mail.
John Palmer made much use of the flying stagecoach services between cities in the course of his business. He noted that it seemed far more efficient than the system of mail delivery then in operation. His travel from Bath to London took a single day to the mails three days. It occurred to him that this stagecoach service could be developed into a national mail delivery service.
He met resistance from officials who believed that the existing system could not be improved, but eventually the Chancellor of the Exchequer, William Pitt, allowed him to carry out an experimental run between Bristol and London. Under the old system the journey had taken up to 38 hours. The stagecoach, funded by Palmer, left Bristol at 4 pm on the 2nd of August 1784 and arrived in London just 16 hours later.
Impressed by the trial run, Pitt authorised the creation of new routes. Within the month the service had been extended from London to Norwich, Nottingham, Liverpool and Manchester. By the end of 1785 services to major towns and cities of England and Wales had also been linked including Leeds, Dover, Portsmouth, Poole, Exeter, Gloucester, Worcester, Holyhead and Carlisle.
Macadam roads were implemented up and down the country during this period. The speed of coaches in this period rose from around four miles per hour to eight miles per hour including stops for provisioning. Each route had an average of four coaches operating on it at one time two for both directions and a further two spares in case of breakdown en route.
Stagecoaches in Victorian Britain were heavily taxed on the number of passenger seats. If more passengers were carried than the licence allowed there were penalties to pay. The lawyer Stanley Harris wrote that he knew of informers ready to report any breach of regulations to the authorities. They did this in return for a portion of any fines imposed, sometimes as much as half.
The tax paid on passenger seats was a major expense for coach operators. Harris gives an example of the tax payable on the London to Newcastle coach route which measured 278 miles. Annual tax amounted to £2,529 for 15 passengers per coach. Annual tolls were £2,537. The hire of the four coach vehicles needed cost £1,274.
Cobb & Co was established in Melbourne in 1853 and grew to service Australias mainland eastern states and South Australia. A Cobb & Co proprietor arrived in New Zealand on the 4th of October 1861 thus beginning Cobb & Co stagecoach operation. The diligence from Le Havre to Paris was described by a fastidious English visitor of 1803 with a thoroughness that distinguished it from its English contemporary.
A more uncouth clumsy machine can scarcely be imagined. In the front is a cabriolet fixed to the body of the coach for the accommodation of three passengers who are protected from the rain above by the projecting roof of the coach. The inside which is capacious and lofty will hold six people in great comfort is lined with leather padded and surrounded with little pockets.
The first stagecoaches were brought to Palestine by the German religious group known as the Templers who operated a public transportation service between their colonies in the country as early as 1867. Stagecoach development in Palestine was greatly facilitated by the 1869 visit of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. For this distinguished guest the road between Jaffa and Jerusalem was greatly improved.
The development of railways in the 1830s spelled the end for stagecoaches and mail coaches. The first rail delivery between Liverpool and Manchester took place on the 11th of November 1830. By the early 1840s most London-based coaches had been withdrawn from service.
Transcontinental stage-coaching ended with the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. The railway network in South Africa was extended from Mafeking through Bechuanaland and reached Bulawayo in 1897. Prior to its arrival a network of stagecoach routes existed.
While railways started being constructed in Palestine in the last years of the 19th century, stagecoaches were still a major means of public transport until the outbreak of the First World War. In peripheral areas they were still used in the early years of British Mandatory rule. The speed of travel remained constant until the mid-18th century before reforms led to sustained rises in comfort and speed.
Stories that prominently involve a stagecoach include Winds of the Wasteland a 1936 film starring John Wayne. Wells Fargo a 1937 film starred Joel McCrea. Stagecoach a 1939 film starred John Wayne. Arizona Bound a 1941 film starred Buck Jones.
Stagecoach to Denver a 1946 film starred Allan Lane. Black Bart a 1948 film starred Dan Duryea. A Ticket to Tomahawk a 1950 musical comedy starred Dan Dailey. Riding Shotgun a 1954 film starred Randolph Scott.
The Hateful Eight a 2015 film by Quentin Tarantino features stagecoaches as part of its plot. Part of the plot of Doctor Dolittle's Circus is set in a stagecoach where the animal-loving Doctor Dolittle is traveling along with a female seal disguised as a woman. Selling stagecoaches to the fence in Emerald Ranch is a common method of making money in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Common questions
When did the first recorded stagecoach route in Britain start and where did it run?
The first recorded stagecoach route in Britain started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith. This initial journey established a pattern for future public transport networks across the island.
Who helped construct the first spring-suspended coaches and when were steel springs used in suspensions?
Robert Hooke helped in the construction of some of the first spring-suspended coaches in the 1660s. Steel springs had been used in suspensions for vehicles since 1695.
What date did John Palmer's experimental stagecoach service leave Bristol for London?
The stagecoach funded by John Palmer left Bristol at 4 pm on the 2nd of August 1784 and arrived in London just 16 hours later. Under the old system the journey had taken up to 38 hours.
When was Cobb & Co established in Melbourne and when did operations begin in New Zealand?
Cobb & Co was established in Melbourne in 1853 and grew to service Australias mainland eastern states and South Australia. A Cobb & Co proprietor arrived in New Zealand on the 4th of October 1861 thus beginning Cobb & Co stagecoach operation.
When did railways spell the end for stagecoaches and mail coaches in Britain?
The development of railways in the 1830s spelled the end for stagecoaches and mail coaches. The first rail delivery between Liverpool and Manchester took place on the 11th of November 1830.