Early Italian Gig at the South Kensington Museum
Why the nobility, gentry, and worthy burgesses of England, Scotland, and Ireland did not go and do likewise, history hides from us. There is no further mention of Sir Richard’s truly remarkable carriage, and one is left to imagine that some of the Irish roads were too bad even for its freakish agility.
On the other hand, they were probably superior to the Scottish roads of the time, even those in the more civilised southern districts. “It is recorded,” says Croal, “that in 1678”—the year after the founding of the Coach and Coach-Harness Makers’ Company in London—“the difficulties in the way of rapid communication were such that an agreement was made to run a coach between Edinburgh and Glasgow, a distance of forty-four miles, which was to be drawn by six horses, and to perform the journey to Glasgow and back in six days!”
Cross-country travelling, indeed, was very bad, and the rough tracks over which the heavy stage-coaches rumbled along would have proved too much for the lighter chariots and gigs which were so popular in town. I may conclude this chapter by quoting an amusing description of such cross-country travelling at the end of the century, taken from Sir John Vanbrugh’s Provoked Husband. A family is going in its private coach from Yorkshire to London:—
Lord Townley. Mr. Moody, your servant; I am glad to see you in London. I hope all the family is well.
John Moody. Thanks be praised, your honour, they are all in pretty good heart, thof’ we have had a power of crosses upo’ the road.
Lady Grace. I hope my Lady has no hurt, Mr. Moody.
John. Noa, an’t please your ladyship, she was never in better humour: There’s money enough stirring now.
Manly. What has been the matter, John?
John. Why, we came up in such a hurry, you mun think that our tackle was not so tight as it should be.