Paying for Horse Changes

[prewch]

I was on holday recently in Cornwall and read about how the news of Nelson's victory at Trafalgar was taken from Cornwall to London. From memory it mentioned that the horses were changed more than 20 times on the journey.

I would like to know more about:-
a) how the system of horse changing worked?
b) how were the changes of horse paid for?

Thanks in advance for any answers or leads to more information.

[Octavius]

In the olden days, messengers had regular circuits:
1 day, up to 35 miles
2 days up to 65 miles
3 days, up to 96 miles
4 days, up to 120 miles
5 days, up to 160 miles
6 days, up to 190 miles
8 days etc

Cornwall to London would have taken about 6 days on horse. Messengers were not expected to travel on Sunday although messengers did travel at night and could cover 45 to 60 miles a day.

These circuits meant 30 to 35 miles a day, or 12 hours at about 3 miles per hour on foot. Mounted men normally made the same time as they had to rest their horse every 10 miles.

They were paid by their employer, usually a sheriff or even the King/Queen. Return journeys were paid for by the receiving officer. The mounted messenger provided his own horse. If the horse died in service, the employer (sheriff / king) would provide a replacement.

In Nelsons time, the service might possibly have been provided by the Mounted Police Branch which was often used for messenger services before the telegraph. If so, then if they needed to change horse, they would stop at stations along the way and no fee would be charged.

In the olden days messengers with news from London etc, would have been made very welcome and its likely they would have had individual arrangements with a network of inns on their routes to provide exchange horses, as well as food and drink, for a bit of news.

A very good book on the subject, although prior to Nelson is Medieval Messengers by Byron Whited.

[Octavius]

Actually the service could have been carried out by the British Forces Postal Service by the Royal Engineers. I found this.....

Nelson beat the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.

Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotiere took his dispatch from Falmouth to Whitehall in 37 hours, arriving at the Admiralty at 1am on 6 November.

He made 21 stops to change horses, each of which will be marked by a plaque.

His detailed expense account shows that he followed one of the well-known routes to the capital, changing horses every 10 to 15 miles. He made 21 stops at coaching inns in Truro, Fraddon, Bodmin, Launceston, Okehampton, Crockernwell, Exeter, Honiton, Axminster, Bridport, Dorchester, Blandford Forum, Woodyates, Salisbury, Andover, Overton, Basingstoke, Hartfordbridge, Bagshot, Staines and Hounslow. At some stops he had to change post-chaise, as different operators covered the various sections of the route. He arrived at the Admiralty in Whitehall at 1.00 am on 6 November, having travelled the 270 miles from Falmouth in some 37 hours non-stop - an amazing feat. A stage coach usually took some 4 days to do the journey. Amazingly, Mr William Marsden, Secretary of the Navy, was in his office when Lapenotiere arrived. The news of victory and tragedy spread through London and the rest of the country.


http://www.themapshop.co.uk/images/OS%20Button s/montage2.jpg

[prewch]

Many thanks Octavius. Most interesting. I will certainly follow up the book.