One of the worst jobs in the world.

If I was living in the eighteenth and nineteenth century the job that I would really not fancy is working on a stagecoach. This was the only way to get around the country during this time and if being a passenger inside was difficult just try and imagine what it was like on the outside with all the luggage. The stage coach offered the chance to travel to other cities and town plus stopping at villages on the way to collect mail and parcel. It was the beginning of the opening up the country to news from government and the events that were happening elsewhere in the UK. It was the start of an infrastructure that was seen since the Roman times. The fact that the Romans had better roads than the stagecoach users has to be noted though. It was not a comfortable ride. At least in our modern times you can use the services of a Same day courier Slough service and a visit to the website at www.uk-tdl.com/same-day-courier-slough.html could be the answer to your prayers. It certainly a much more reliable and safer option than the stage coach.

Image credit

The coach itself was not very comfortable. The seats were firm to rock hard and the suspension was non-existent. When you went over a bump in the road you certainly felt it. The roads during that time were little more than rutted tracks and the invention of tarmac and concrete roads was a long way off. The stage coach was hardly an all-terrain vehicle so when it rained, and the roads turned into a lake or a river the coach was going nowhere.

If it was tough inside the stage coach it was even worse outside as the driver and his assistant manfully strived to keep the four or six horses in line and under control. A bolting horse was one thing but six was an even scarier prospect. Exposed to the elements and charge with ensuring that the mail got through it cannot have been fun in the winter months as the cold winds bit and the rain pelted down. Perhaps it was a bit better in the summer time, the sun going down on a balmy evening and the open now very dusty road ahead of you.

Image credit

What made it especially dangerous was the dreaded knights of the road or Highwayman as we would know them. They could appear at any moment and your very life would be threatened by some low life with a couple of flintlocks and a horse. Even more annoying he’ll be the one that al the fancy myths and legends will be sung about. There is no justice in the world

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *