CHAPTER VI 



EARLY CARRIAGES 



THE carts that succeeded the early British and Roman war 

 chariots, and enabled the villeins and cottars to do the 

 obligatory " cartage " for the lord of the manor, were heavy, 

 lumbering vehicles, with wheels hewn out of solid pieces of 

 wood, and were used for private transport rather than trans- 

 port for hire. The latter came in with the " wains " or " long 

 waggons " of England's pioneer road carriers. These long 

 waggons, according to Stow, were brought into use about the 

 year 1564, up to which time save for the horse litters and the 

 agricultural carts the saddle-horse and the packhorse had 

 been the only means of travelling and conveying goods. 

 The long waggon developed into a roomy covered vehicle, 

 capable of accommodating about 20 passengers in addition 

 to merchandise ; it had broad wheels adapted to the roads ; 

 and it was drawn, at a walking pace, by six, eight, or more 

 horses which (except on such long journeys as that from 

 London to Wigan) accompanied it for the entire journey. As 

 the forerunner of the stage-coach it was, at first, generally used 

 not only for the heavier classes of goods (lighter qualities, 

 and especially so when greater speed was required, still going 

 by packhorse), but, also, by such travellers as either could not, 

 or preferred not to, travel on horseback. 



The waggons made regular journeys between London, 

 Canterbury, Norwich, Ipswich, Gloucester, and other towns. 

 It was in the long waggon that many a traveller in the seven- 

 teenth century made the journey between London and Dover, 

 either going to or returning from the Continent 1 ; and, though, 

 because of this Continental traffic, the Dover road was probably 

 kept in as good a condition as any in the country, the long 



1 The earlier Continental route was by river to Gravesend and thence 

 by road to Dover. 



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