COACH-PROPRIETORS 227 



When Colonel Hawker took coach from the 

 "Bull and Mouth" in 1812, he found "the 

 ruffians " there " a dissatisfied, grumbling set of 

 fellows, and their turns-out of horses and harness 

 beggarly." Such was the place under Willans' 

 rule, but Sherman altered all that. He was 

 anything but a horsy man, and it is therefore 

 remarkable that he should have built up the very 

 extensive business that the " Bull and Mouth " 

 Yard did almost immediately become. He was 

 the pioneer of fast long-distance day coaches, and 

 \Aas the proprietor, at the London end, of the 

 " Shrewsbury Wonder," which, like all his coaches 

 at that time, was a light yellow and black affair. 

 How long he continued subservient to Levy may 

 be a matter for conjecture, but when he rebuilt 

 the " Bull and Mouth " Hotel, in 1830, he did 

 so from the money of one of the three old and 

 wealthy ladies Avhom he married in succession. 

 The "Wonder" ran 158 miles in the day, as 

 against the 122 miles to Bristol ; but was shortly 

 afterwards eclipsed by the Exeter " Telegraph," 

 put on the road in 182G in rivalry with Chaplin's 

 "Quicksilver" Hevonport Mail, by Mrs. Ann 

 Nelson, of the "Bull," Wliitechapel. In this 

 Sherman had only a small share. Entirely his 

 own venture was that supreme achievement, the 

 "Manchester Telegrai^h " day coach, started in 

 1833 and running 186 miles in 18 hours, technically 

 in the day by dint of starting at 5 o'clock in 

 the morning and reaching Manchester at 11 p.m. 

 The journey was at last shortened by one hour, 



