TANDEM DRIVING 



IT is said, but I must confess failure to trace authority 

 for the statement, that tandem driving was invented 

 as a convenient and sporting method of taking the 

 hunter to the meet. History has not handed down to 

 fame the name of the man who first hit upon the idea of 

 driving tandem ; it was in vogue over a century ago, and at 

 Cambridge ranked as a grave offence : witness the following 

 edict dated 10th March 1807 :— 



' We, the Vice-Chancellor and Heads of Colleges, 

 DO hereby order and decree that if any person or 



PERSONS IX STATU PUPILLARI SHALL BE FOUND DRIVING ANY 

 TANDEM AND SHALL BE DULY CONVICTED THEREOF BEFORE THE 

 ViCE-ChANCELLOR, such person or persons so OFFENDING 

 SHALL FOR THE FIRST OFFENCE BE SUSPENDED FROM TAKING 

 HIS DEGREE FOR ONE WHOLE YEAR, OR BE RUSTICATED, ACCORD- 

 ING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE ; AND FOR THE 

 SECOND OFFENCE BE LIABLE TO SUCH FURTHER PUNISHMENT 

 AS IT MAY APPEAR TO DESERVE, OR BE EXPELLED THE UNI- 

 VERSITY.' 



Extravagantly high gigs were much in favour among the 

 ' bloods ' of the day, and these were often used for tandem 

 driving, a purpose for which they were by no means unsuitable, 

 always provided the road was fairly level. 



As a matter of course, when tandems became numerous 

 and drivers clever in handling them, races against time came 

 into fashion. Matches on the road, whether trotting in saddle 

 or driving, were usually ' against time ' for obvious reasons. 

 On 14th April 1819 the famous whip, Mr. Buxton, backed 

 himself to drive tandem without letting his horses break their 



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