Questions about Carriages and Horses?

[savivi]

I have looked everywhere for information on these two specific things, and can't seem to find it. So I'm hoping someone here may have an answer!

What happens to the carriage horses on long journeys? They talk about changing horses all the time -- but do the tired ones get sent back home after a while, or are there "Mr. Darcy's Horses" at every post? I can't think they'd be lost forever or used for other riders or drivers, especially since most beaus and corinthians were so particular about their horses.

And carriages! Balls! What happens to them? Are they parked somewhere? Do they go back to their houses? Do they drive around for hours until it's time to pick up the people? I know they call the carriage, but how do they know???

And I may seem foolish, but hopefully I'm not the only one who wonders about these things.

[maudelynn]

here is a page that may answer some of your queries.

homepages.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/carriage/history.html

For balls, there was almost always a huge carriage waiting area and stable at all fine manor houses that would hold balls.
At city events, they would park on the street and wait, like limos in cities today.

[Mme de Beaufort]

In the case of leaving and changing horses, most towns had livery stables where horses would wait and be boarded until someone returned for them--or where you could leave your livery overnight while you stayed at an inn.

I think Mr. Collins's letter to Mr. Bennett sort of illustrates how there was a manageable transportation system that was fairly reliable. He gave the schedule of his travel arrangements, and an estimated time of arrival.

[maudelynn]

admin said:

In the case of leaving and changing horses, most towns had livery stables where horses would wait and be boarded until someone returned for them--or where you could leave your livery overnight while you stayed at an inn.

I think Mr. Collins's letter to Mr. Bennett sort of illustrates how there was a manageable transportation system that was fairly reliable. He gave the schedule of his travel arrangements, and an estimated time of arrival.

Yes, and many times, after dropping their employer off at the final destination, the drivers would either switch out and go back for the horses left behind since they would have been well rested, and take them back to the starting point. Does any of this make sense? I realised how hard it is to explain in words I need to figure out how to use paintshop to make diagrams

[savivi]

THANK YOU. And how obvious! Finally, my mind can rest!

The link is fabulous, by the way.

[Goblin, esq.]

admin said:

I think Mr. Collins's letter to Mr. Bennett sort of illustrates how there was a manageable transportation system that was fairly reliable. He gave the schedule of his travel arrangements, and an estimated time of arrival.

Mr. Collins may well have travelled by public stage-coach, which would have left and arrived at specific times, as does Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey, when she is suddenly sent home. There was (for the first time) a public transportation network in the Regency period, during which travel, and travel for pleasure, were both accessible to a much larger number of people.

(Maudelyn's link explains most of this much better than I can.)

[savivi]

Thanks! I'll definitely re-read that part of P&P.