VIA ST. ALBANS 177 



pool, July 25, 1785 — the very first, in fact, of 

 Palmer's mails to run over the Great North Eoacl. 

 Of course, long before 1785 other conveyances — 

 post-coaches especially — had taken the St. Albans 

 route. 



Post-coaches, which became frequent in the twenties, 

 must not be assumed to have had a postal flavour 

 about them any more than post-chaises. They were 

 merely swift forms of stage-coach — ' limited coaches,' 

 in short, drawn by four horses, furnished with coach- 

 man and guard, carrying no outside, and usually not 

 more than four inside, passengers. Some of these 

 post-coaches professed to run faster than the mail, 

 which was feasible enough, with light loads and no 

 detention for bags. 



A post-coach reaching London in two days started 

 from the Cross Keys in Dale Street, Liverpool, and 

 went through Warrington, Macclesfield, Derby, 

 Leicester, Northampton and St. Albans. 



A few years later, when the Eoyal Mail-coach 

 appeared on the scene, London was reached in twenty- 

 seven hours, from the London Tavern and Talbot Inn 

 in Liverpool, to the famous Swan with Two Necks 

 in Lad Lane, and this coach, for a fare of three 

 guineas, took its passengers over the better road of 

 Lichfield, St. Albans and Barnet. 



Seeing that even when her Majesty had come to 

 the throne, and the road was as fine as it could be 

 made, the journey occupied twenty-one hours, this 

 early performance of the Liverpool mail-coach was, 



12 



