142 HIGH IV AYS AND HORSES. 



heavily tax inventive genius ; whilst the American 

 people are ready to try anything until it is proved to 

 be a failure. 



The following letter appeared in The Field news- 

 paper, June 1 6th, 1877, just ten years ago : 



COACHING PICTURES. 



Sir, — I hava read with a considerable degree of interest an 

 account of the exhibition of coaching pictures on view at the 

 Gallery, 114, New Bond-street, which appeared in T/ic Field o{ May 

 19th last; and also the letters in your subsequent editions with 

 reference to the picture described in the catalogue as " Coaches 

 Meeting on the Great North Road," as also on the scarlet coat 

 question. On both I have consulted J. Hampton, of Huntingdon, 

 who is referred to in Mr. Soame's letter of May 28th, and he states : 

 '■'' Forty-six years ago, I drove the Louth mail from London to 

 Huntingdon. The Lynn, Hull, and Edinburgh coaches travelled 

 the same road with me to Hoddesdon. The Hull left us there, 

 and went on to the great north road, via Hertford and Stevenage. 

 The Lynn left us at Royston, and branched off through Cambridge. 

 The Edinburgh and myself continued on through Arlington and 

 Caxton to Huntingdon, thence to Alconbury Hill, the junction 

 with the great north road, where the three coaches met again. They 

 then travelled on the north road to Norman Cross, where the Louth 

 and Hull turned off to Peterborough, the Edinburgh going north, 

 through Wansford and Stamford. Bill Wood drove the Lincoln, 

 Harry Davis the Lynn, Jim Timour the Edinburgh, and Jack 

 Hampton the Louth.'' 



From Hampton's statement it would seem as if the third coach in 

 the picture is the Edinburgh mail, and the place of meeting either 

 Alconbury Hill or Norman Cross. I think, however, it is clear 

 that the Lynn mail did not touch the north road at any point. 



A propos of scarlet coats, Hampton says : " Mr. E. Sherman, 

 whose coaches started from the ' Bull and Mouth,' gave all his 

 coachmen scarlet coats ; and any coachman w^ho happened to 

 be in town on the King's or Queen's birthday, as the case was, had 

 one given him for the procession. Hampton had only one the 

 whole time he drove the mail." 



Hampton is, and has been for many years, " mine host " of 

 the " Boro' Arms," Huntingdon, where he is always ready to give 

 his reminiscences of the road in the good old coaching days, and, 

 occasionally taking dowm a favourite whip from its rack, shows 

 how fields were won; or when during term time some wild Cambridge 

 freshman, tooling his four-in-hand, dashes over the roughly-paved 



