Nineteenth Century Carriages
Descriptions of Different Types of Horse-Drawn Transportation
Feb 15, 2009
In the 19th century anyone who aspired to becoming a member of ‘society’ wanted a carriage. Carriages carried people, while carts and drays were mostly used to carry goods and, sometimes, servants or the lower classes. The Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, placed a tax on horses and carriages because they were regarded as the means of transportation used by the wealthy.
There were many different types of carriages, ranging from simple gigs and curricles mostly used in the country to the flasher broughams and barouches, popular in cities and towns. Here are descriptions of some well-known carriages.
Curricles
These were very fast and regarded as very smart and fashionable, like the sports cars of today. The curricle needed two horses to pull it, unlike the simple one-horse gig which was rather basic. Catherine Morland thought that ‘a curricle was the prettiest equipage in the world’ in Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey.
Barouche
People usually used the fashionable barouche, which was drawn by four horses, for formal occasions. Elegant and expensive, the barouche had four wheels and two bench seats facing each other. It could carry four people. The driver sat outside on a separate box.
The top was collapsible so the barouche could be used as a hooded or an open carriage, depending on the weather. It was often left open in the summer so that the passengers could show off their fine clothes and enjoy the sunny weather.
Landau
This was also a four-wheeled, convertible carriage with two seats opposite each other. The hood was in two sections. Unlike the barouche, the landau only required two horses.
Victoria
These stylish carriages, named after Queen Victoria, were very popular with ladies for riding in the park. They had a forward seat for two passengers and a raised driver’s seat. These carriages also had folding tops and drawn by one or two horses.
Phaeton
These sporty carriages with their four large wheels were driven by a single horse or pair. They were popular with young men because they were generally regarded as fast and dangerous.
Even the arrival of the railroad didn’t kill off the popular carriage. People still used horse-drawn transportation for most journeys, especially short ones. The carriage eventually faded from use when motor-cars became ubiquitous.
Source:
Daniel Pool, What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox-Hunting to Whist – The Facts of Daily Life in 19th Century England (New York: Touchstone, 1993).
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