Chapter IX 



HORSEMEN 



One of the three famous brothers who adorned the road 

 in pre- Victorian days was Joe Tollit. And it is not 

 recorded that the remarkable feat he accomplished on 

 May I, 1834, was by any means the death of him, for 

 he afterwards drove the " Oxford Age " from " The Vine " 

 in Oxford to "The Bell and Crown" in Holborn — up 

 to-day and down to-morrow. 



There was very considerable rivalry on the Oxford 

 road, and there was one rival in particular whom "The 

 Age " was anxious to dispose of once for all. The distance 

 was about the same as that from London to Brighton — 

 fifty-four miles. The opposition coach held the record 

 — something over four hours — and " The Age " publicly 

 announced its intention of lowering this record. On 

 that eventful May day Tollit started from "The Vine" 

 at his regular hour of eleven. The twenty-five miles 

 to Wycombe, the worst part of the journey, were 

 accomplished in two hours. 



'95 N2 



