Another book review so soon on this blog? Well, yes. This book from Shire Publications, Victorian and Edwardian Horse Cabs by Trevor May, is short, just 32 pages long, but it is filled with many facts and rare images of interest to lovers of history. In Jane Austen’s day most people walked to work, town, church, and market square, or to their neighbors. Six miles was not considered an undue distance to travel by foot one way. The gentry were another breed. They either owned their own carriages or hired a public horse cab. These equipages were available as early as the 1620’s.
Hackneys, or public carriages for hire made their first significant appearance in the early 17th century. By 1694, these vehicles had increased to such a number that a body of Hackney Coach Commissioners was established in London. The commissioners dealt out licences, which was a bit of a joke, for a mere four inspectors were responsible for over 1,000 vehicles.
Hackney Coach 1680
Most of these licensed hackney coaches were purchased second hand. All that an enterprising person needed to establish his own hackney coach business was enough money for a used carriage and three horses, two that worked in rotation, and one that could be used as a replacement in case of injury or illness. The death of a horse could lead to a cab owner’s financial ruin. Another important ingredient was housing for the horses.
Hackney Coach 1800. Image @Wikimedia Commons
By, 1823, the lighter horse cabs began to replace cumbersome hackney coaches in great quantity, and by the mid 1830’s, the hansom cab set the new standard for modern horse cabs. Aloysius Hansom, an architect, designed the first carriage. When Hansom went bankrupt through poor investments, John Chapman took over, designing an even lighter, more efficient cab, one whose framework did not strike the horses on their backs or sides whenever a carriage ran over an obstacle in the road.
Hansom Cab
Commercial cab firms tended to be small, even as late as 1892. Only one or two proprietors provided a large number or variety of equipages, like Alfred Pargetter, whose concern advertised removal carriages, cabs, and funeral coaches for hire. While cabs were licensed, their drivers were not and the road could present a dangerous obstacle course. The video clip below shows how adroitly horses and carriages managed to avoid each other with seemingly few rules (mostly towards the end of the clip). Notice how some lucky individual horses pulled relatively light loads compared to other horses forced to pull heavy carts.
These two video clips, one from 1903 and the other from 1896 (unbelievable!) show the end of an era, for by 1914, motorized vehicles were rapidly replacing the horse-drawn cart.
I recommend this book to anyone with an insatiable appetite for a pictorial history on a particular topic. Trevor May is an expert on the Victorian era, and he has managed to squeeze more information about horse-drawn cabs in this short book (more a thick pamphlet) than I have read before. The images are simply splendid.
Jane Austen's World 
Wow…I love history and am amazed there is such footage. Thank you enjoyed immensely.
Thank you for bringing this book to my attention, plus the footage. It’s going on my Amazon.co.uk wish list.
Actually Elizabeth, you can buy the Shire Publication books directly from their website.
But great review Vic! This book has been on my booklust list for a few months. *g*
gosh, the traffic is unbelievable!! O_O And I find the adverts on the carriages really amusing for some reason. Nestle’s Milk, Lipton Teas, Allsopps??? …. lol. It seems advertising is just as ‘rampant’ as it is now…. I sometimes find all the billboards and lights overwhelming.
I wonder how different advertising is in the regency period?
Advertising in the Regency period was accomplished in many ways. The famous town cries of London heralded brooms, cherries, milk, knife sharpeners, etc. Men were paid to walk up and down city blocks as “walking” billboards (wearing placards on their chests and back), and billboards and posters announcing plays and entertainments were glued on public walls and buildings. Ads also appeared in newspapers, circulars, and magazines. Below is a link to Lesley Ann McLeod’s post on the topic. Signs outside shops also proudly displayed ads. Marketing has always been a part of commerce. :)
http://lesleyannemcleod.blogspot.com/2009/10/advertising-regency-world.html
This was fascinating, Vic. I was a little surprised at something in the 1896 film clip, though. My father, born in 1917, and still alive and kicking, DG, was taught by HIS father, (and Dad also taught my brothers) that a gentleman always walks on the street side of a lady. He does this to protect her from traffic problems, such as spattering mud, runaway vehicles, etc. To this day, whenever we walk anywhere together, he places himself on the street side of me; if we cross the street, he automatically repositions himself. My brothers do the same thing.
I’ve always thought this a very lovely — Victorian — thing to do, but in the clip I noticed a fellow (obviously NOT a gentleman, to MY mind, or to my father’s mind) blithely walking on the inside, leaving his lady exposed to all manner of dreadful street problems; for shame!
Thanks, Vic, I really enjoyed that!
Victoria, what a wonderful find. So beautiful. I loved the Nestle and Lipton ads too :) I really need to figure out how you got the picture on your site. Outstanding. Hope you get by my blog on Writers Riding Right on wordpress. Stop by. And thank you for a wondeful trip back in time.
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