77-403: A barouche is a large, open, four-wheeled carriage , both heavy and luxurious, drawn by two horses. It was fashionable throughout the 19th century. Its body provides seats for four passengers, two back-seat passengers vis-à-vis two behind the coachman's high box-seat. A leather roof can be raised to give back-seat passengers some protection from the weather. Barouche is an anglicisation of
154-438: A dashboard intercepts water, mud or snow thrown up by the heels of the horses. The dashboard or carriage top sometimes has a projecting sidepiece called a wing (British). A foot iron or footplate may serve as a carriage step. A carriage driver sits on a box or perch , usually elevated and small. When at the front, it is known as a dickey box , a term also used for a seat at the back for servants. A footman might use
231-514: A lap robe as a blanket or similar covering for their legs, lap and feet. A horse especially bred for carriage use by appearance and stylish action is called a carriage horse ; one for use on a road is a road horse . One such breed is the Cleveland Bay , uniformly bay in color, of good conformation and strong constitution. Horses were broken in using a bodiless carriage frame called a break or brake . A carriage dog or coach dog
308-465: A milk wagon . Tank wagons carried liquid cargoes. Water wagons delivered to areas without piped water and for military camp use. In the early 1900s, the American street flusher used a gas-powered pump to clean city streets of litter or mud, and to wet down dust in dry seasons. Liquid manure wagons were low tank vehicles for spreading manure on fields in the 1860s-1900s. Oil wagons operated from
385-414: A " teamster ", a " bullocky " (Australia), a " muleteer ", or simply a "driver". Wagons have served numerous purposes, with numerous corresponding designs. As with motorized vehicles, some are designed to serve as many functions as possible, while others are highly specialized. The exact name and terminology used are often dependent on the design or shape of the wagon. If low and sideless it may be called
462-449: A carriage but not part of it, however all of these words have blended together over time and are often used interchangeably to mean the smaller components or parts of a carriage or equipment. All the shiny metal fittings on a vehicle should be one color, such as brass (yellow) or nickel (white), and should match the buckle color of any harness used with the vehicle. Early bodies of horseless carriages were constructed by coachmakers using
539-399: A crash with another carriage. Carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping or, on those made in recent centuries, steel springs. Two-wheeled carriages are usually owner-driven. Coaches are
616-416: A dray, trolley or float . When traveling over long distances and periods, wagons may be covered with cloth to protect their contents from the elements; these are " covered wagons ". If it has high sides, with or without a permanent top, it may be called a " van ". A wagon might be unsprung if ordinarily used over rough ground or cobbles. A front axle assembly , in its simplest form, is an assembly of
693-497: A driver's seat or bench, leaving the driver to walk alongside the wagon or ride atop of one of the horses. Many freight wagons had a "lazyboard," a plank that could be pulled out for sitting upon then pushed back when not needed. In America, lazyboards were located on the left side and close to the brake because wagons were steered from the left side. In the United States and Canada, the large, heavily built Conestoga wagon
770-581: A four-in-hand competition. For pony drivers, the World Combined Pony Championships are held every two years and include singles, pairs and four-in-hand events. Numerous varieties of horse-drawn carriages existed, Arthur Ingram's Horse Drawn Vehicles since 1760 in Colour lists 325 types with a short description of each. By the early 19th century one's choice of carriage was only in part based on practicality and performance; it
847-550: A medium country, and a country of ten thousand chariots ranked as a huge and powerful country. The medieval carriage was typically a four-wheeled wagon type, with a rounded top ("tilt") similar in appearance to the Conestoga Wagon familiar from the United States. Sharing the traditional form of wheels and undercarriage known since the Bronze Age, it very likely also employed the pivoting fore-axle in continuity from
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#1732798654910924-536: A much larger scale than anywhere else in the world. Carriages and coaches began to disappear as use of steam propulsion began to generate more and more interest and research. Steam power quickly won the battle against animal power as is evident by a newspaper article written in England in 1895 entitled "Horseflesh vs. Steam". The article highlights the death of the carriage as the main means of transportation. Today, carriages are still used for day-to-day transport in
1001-434: A separate driver's seat and a folding top. A folding calash top was a feature of two other types: the chaise , a two-wheeled carriage for one or two persons, a body hung on leather straps or thorough-braces, usually drawn by one horse; and a victoria , a low four-wheeled pleasure carriage for two with a raised seat in front for the driver. A victoria is distinguished from a barouche by having fold-down occasional seating for
1078-536: A short beam with a pivot plate, two wagon wheels and spindles as well as a drawbar attached to this. A pin attaches the device to a chariot , a wagon or a coach , making the turning radius smaller. Farm wagons are built for general multi-purpose usage in an agricultural or rural setting. These include gathering hay , crops and wood , and delivering them to the farmstead or market . Wagons can also be pulled with tractors for easy transportation of those materials. A common form found throughout Europe
1155-479: A small platform at the rear called a footboard or a seat called a rumble behind the body. Some carriages have a moveable seat called a jump seat . Some seats had an attached backrest called a lazyback . The shafts of a carriage were called limbers in English dialect. Lancewood , a tough elastic wood of various trees, was often used especially for carriage shafts. A holdback , consisting of an iron catch on
1232-579: A special category within carriages. They are carriages with four corner posts and a fixed roof. Two-wheeled war chariots and transport vehicles such as four-wheeled wagons and two-wheeled carts were forerunners of carriages. In the 21st century, horse-drawn carriages are occasionally used for public parades by royalty and for traditional formal ceremonies. Simplified modern versions are made for tourist transport in warm countries and for those cities where tourists expect open horse-drawn carriages to be provided. Simple metal sporting versions are still made for
1309-406: A two-wheeled "haywain" would be a hay cart, as opposed to a carriage. Wain is also an archaic term for a chariot. Wain can also be a verb, to carry or deliver, and has other meanings. Contemporary or modern animal-drawn wagons may be of metal instead of wood and have regular wheels with rubber tires instead of traditional wagon wheels. A person who drives wagons is called a "wagoner",
1386-450: A very junior Archbishopric of Esztergom developed a taste for Hungarian riding and took his carriage and driver back to Italy. Then rather suddenly, in around 1550, the "coach" made its appearance throughout the major cities of Europe, and the new word entered the vocabulary of all their languages. However, the new "coach" seems to have been a fashionable concept (fast road travel for men) as much as any particular type of vehicle, and there
1463-557: A wheel called a fifth wheel sometimes forms an extended support to prevent the carriage from tipping; it consists of two parts rotating on each other about the kingbolt or perchbolt above the fore axle and beneath the body. A block of wood called a headblock might be placed between the fifth wheel and the forward spring. Originally, the word fittings referred to metal elements such as bolts and brackets, furnishings leaned more to leatherwork and upholstery or referred to metal buckles on harness, and appointments were things brought to
1540-615: A yard, court or street, is called a mews . A kind of dynamometer called a peirameter indicates the power necessary to haul a carriage over a road or track. In most European and English-speaking countries, driving is a competitive equestrian sport. Many horse shows host driving competitions for a particular style of driving, breed of horse, or type of vehicle. Show vehicles are usually carriages, carts , or buggies and, occasionally, sulkies or wagons . Modern high-technology carriages are made purely for competition by companies such as Bennington Carriages. in England. Terminology varies:
1617-402: A young English doctor who was driving a carriage about 10,000 miles a year to visit patients all over England. Darwin found two essential problems or shortcomings of the commonly used light carriage or Hungarian carriage. First, the front wheels were turned by a pivoting front axle, which had been used for years, but these wheels were often quite small and hence the rider, carriage and horse felt
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#17327986549101694-540: Is bred for running beside a carriage. A roofed structure that extends from the entrance of a building over an adjacent driveway and that shelters callers as they get in or out of their vehicles is known as a carriage porch or porte cochere . An outbuilding for a carriage is a coach house , which was often combined with accommodation for a groom or other servants. A livery stable kept horses and usually carriages for hire. A range of stables, usually with carriage houses ( remises ) and living quarters built around
1771-422: Is called a bellows top or calash . A hoopstick forms a light framing member for this kind of hood. The top, roof or second-story compartment of a closed carriage, especially a diligence, was called an imperial . A closed carriage may have side windows called quarter lights (British) as well as windows in the doors, hence a "glass coach". On the forepart of an open carriage, a screen of wood or leather called
1848-507: Is called a whip . A person whose business was to drive a carriage was a coachman . A person dressed in livery is called a footman . An attendant on horseback called an outrider . A carriage starter directed the flow of vehicles taking on passengers at the curbside. A hackneyman hired out horses and carriages. Upper-class people of wealth and social position, those wealthy enough to keep carriages, were referred to as carriage folk or carriage trade . Carriage passengers often used
1925-448: Is likely that Roman carriages employed some form of suspension on chains or leather straps, as indicated by carriage parts found in excavations. In 2021 archaeologists discovered the remains of a ceremonial four wheel carriage, a pilentum, near the ancient Roman city of Pompeii . It is thought the pilentum may have been used in ceremonies such as weddings. The find has been described as being "in an excellent state of preservation". Though
2002-407: Is no obvious technological change that accompanied the innovation, either in the use of suspension (which came earlier), or the adoption of springs (which came later). As its use spread throughout Europe in the late 16th century, the coach's body structure was ultimately changed, from a round-topped tilt to the "four-poster" carriages that became standard everywhere by c.1600. The coach had doors in
2079-621: Is significant because up until the 14th century most carriages were on two or three wheels; the chariot, rocking carriage, and baby carriage are two examples of carriages which pre-date the pageant wagon. Historians also debate whether or not pageant wagons were built with pivotal axle systems, which allowed the wheels to turn. Whether it was a four- or six-wheel pageant wagon, most historians maintain that pivotal axle systems were implemented on pageant wagons because many roads were often winding with some sharp turns. Six wheel pageant wagons also represent another innovation in carriages; they were one of
2156-477: Is the ladder wagon [ de ] , a large wagon the sides of which often consisted of ladders strapped in place to hold in hay or grain , though these could be removed to serve other needs. A common type of farm wagon particular to North America is the buckboard . Freight wagons were used for the overland hauling of freight and bulk commodities. They were not designed for transporting people and were not built for comfort. Many were constructed without
2233-537: The American Civil War , these wagon trains would often be accompanied by the wagons of private merchants, known as sutlers , who sold goods to soldiers, as well as the wagons of photographers and news reporters. Special purpose-built support wagons existed for blacksmithing , telegraphy and even observation ballooning. In migration settings, such as the emigrant trails of the American West and
2310-510: The German word barutsche , via the Italian baroccio or biroccio and ultimately from the ancient Roman Empire's Latin birotus , "two-wheeled". The name thus became a misnomer , as the later form of the carriage had four wheels. The barouche was based on an earlier style of carriage, the calash or calèche : this was a light carriage with small wheels, inside seats for four passengers,
2387-539: The Great Trek of South Africa, wagons would travel together for support, navigation and protection. A group of wagons may be used to create an improvised fort called a laager , made by circling them to form an enclosure. In these settings, a chuckwagon is a small wagon used for providing food and cooking, essentially a portable kitchen. In addition to horses and oxen, animals such as mules and goats have been used as draft animals for appropriately-sized wagons. As
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2464-684: The Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), while armored chariots were also used during the Han dynasty against the Xiongnu Confederation in the Han–Xiongnu War (133 BC to 89 CE), specifically at the Battle of Mobei (119 BCE). Before the Han dynasty, the power of Chinese states and dynasties was often measured by the number of chariots they were known to have. A country of a thousand chariots ranked as
2541-554: The Warring-States Period (476–221 BCE). The main reasons were increased use of the crossbow , use of long halberds up to 18 feet (5.49 m) long and pikes up to 22 feet (6.71 m) long, and the adoption of standard cavalry units, and the adaptation of mounted archery from nomadic cavalry, which were more effective. Chariots would continue to serve as command posts for officers during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE) and
2618-674: The Zhou dynasty , which conquered the Shang ca. 1046 BCE, made more use of the chariot than did the Shang and "invented a new kind of harness with four horses abreast". The crew consisted of an archer, a driver, and sometimes a third warrior who was armed with a spear or dagger-axe . From the 8th to 5th centuries BCE the Chinese use of chariots reached its peak. Although chariots appeared in greater numbers, infantry often defeated charioteers in battle. Massed-chariot warfare became all but obsolete after
2695-591: The 1880s to 1920s and held up to 500 gallons of oil or spirits. In the city center of Schwäbisch Gmünd , Germany, since 1992 the city's plants are irrigated using a horse-drawn wagon with a water tank . Wagons have also served as the first mobile homes , as mobile workshops, and mobile kitchens. Travelling circuses decorated their wagons to be able to take part in the grand parade —even packing wagons for equipment, animal cage wagons, living vans and band wagons. Popular in North America was, and still is,
2772-464: The 18th century, with better road surfaces, was there a major innovation with the introduction of the steel C-spring . Many innovations were proposed, and some patented, for new types of suspension or other features. It was only from the 18th century that changes to steering systems were suggested, including the use of the ' fifth wheel ' substituted for the pivoting fore-axle, and on which the carriage turned. Another proposal came from Erasmus Darwin ,
2849-499: The Hungarian "Kochi-wagon" do not indicate any suspension, a body with high sides of lightweight wickerwork, and typically drawn by three horses in harness. Later models were considerably lighter and famous for a single horse being able to draw many passengers. The Hungarian coach spread across Europe, initially rather slowly, in part due to Ippolito d'Este of Ferrara (1479–1529), nephew of Mathias' queen Beatrix of Aragon , who as
2926-636: The Royal Family are driven in Royal Mews coaches during Trooping the Colour, the Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle and carriage processions at the beginning of each day of Royal Ascot. Carriages may be enclosed or open, depending on the type. The top cover for the body of a carriage, called the head or hood , is often flexible and designed to be folded back when desired. Such a folding top
3003-572: The US around the end of the 19th century, early cars (automobiles) were briefly called horseless carriages . Some horse carts found in Celtic graves show hints that their platforms were suspended elastically. Four-wheeled wagons were used in Bronze Age Europe , and their form known from excavations suggests that the basic construction techniques of wheel and undercarriage (that survived until
3080-642: The United States by some minority groups such as the Amish . They are also still used in tourism as vehicles for sightseeing in cities such as Bruges , Vienna, New Orleans , and Little Rock, Arkansas . The most complete working collection of carriages can be seen at the Royal Mews in London where a large selection of vehicles is in regular use. These are supported by a staff of liveried coachmen, footmen and postillions . The horses earn their keep by supporting
3157-655: The age of the motor car) were established then. First prototyped in the 3rd millennium BC , a bullock cart is a large two-wheeled cart pulled by oxen or buffalo. It includes a sturdy wooden pole between the oxen, a yoke connecting a pair of oxen, a wooden platform for passengers or cargo, and large steel rimmed wooden wheels. Two-wheeled carriage models have been discovered from the Indus valley civilization including twin horse drawn covered carriages resembling ekka from various sites such as Harappa , Mohenjo Daro and Chanhu Daro . The earliest recorded sort of carriage
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3234-468: The ancient world. Suspension (on chains) is recorded in visual images and written accounts from the 14th century ("chars branlant" or rocking carriages), and was in widespread use by the 15th century. Carriages were largely used by royalty, aristocrats (and especially by women), and could be elaborately decorated and gilded. These carriages were usually on four wheels and were drawn by two to four horses depending on their size and status. Wood and iron were
3311-435: The beam and so lose useful momentum the chain holding it in place is released (from the driver's position) so that it is allowed to rotate further in its backwards direction, releasing the axle. A system of "pendant-levers" and straps then allows the beam to return to its first position and be ready for further use. A catch or block called a trigger may be used to hold a wheel on an incline. A horizontal wheel or segment of
3388-401: The brunt of every bump on the road. Secondly, he recognized the danger of overturning. A pivoting front axle changes a carriage's base from a rectangle to a triangle because the wheel on the inside of the turn is able to turn more sharply than the outside front wheel. Darwin suggested a fix for these insufficiencies by proposing a principle in which the two front wheels turn (independently of
3465-399: The carriage body is the undergear or undercarriage (or simply carriage ), consisting of the running gear and chassis. The wheels and axles, in distinction from the body, are the running gear . The wheels revolve upon bearings or a spindle at the ends of a bar or beam called an axle or axletree . Most carriages have either one or two axles. On a four-wheeled vehicle, the forward part of
3542-418: The driver. The entire carriage is suspended on C springs and leather straps and more recently additional elliptical springs. It is drawn by a pair of horses and was used in the 19th century for display and summer leisure driving. Designed to give a powerful impression of luxury and elegance, the structure of the carriage is heavier than it looks because of the lack of a rigid roof structure. A light barouche
3619-589: The exact date of when the Chinese started to use carriages is largely unknown, early oracle bone inscriptions discovered in Henan province show that the carriage had already developed into many different forms. The earliest archaeological evidence of chariots in China, a chariot burial site discovered in 1933 at Hougang, Anyang in Henan province, dates to the rule of King Wu Ding of the late Shang dynasty ( c. 1250 BCE ). Oracle bone inscriptions suggest that
3696-478: The first carriages to use multiple pivotal axles. Pivotal axles were used on the front set of wheels and the middle set of wheels. This allowed the horse to move freely and steer the carriage in accordance with the road or path. One of the great innovations in carriage history was the invention of the suspended carriage or the chariot branlant (though whether this was a Roman or medieval innovation remains uncertain). The "chariot branlant" of medieval illustrations
3773-428: The float or show wagon, driven by six horses pulling a highly decorated show wagon with a token payload, and heavily painted with company or owner advertising. Horse-drawn wagons are popular attractions at tourist destinations for leisurely sightseeing. During the transition to mechanized vehicles from animal-powered, vehicles were built by coachbuilders and the bodies and undercarriages were substantially similar to
3850-504: The front axle) about a centre that lies on the extended line of the back axle. This idea was later patented in 1818 as Ackermann steering . Darwin argued that carriages would then be easier to pull and less likely to overturn. Carriage use in North America came with the establishment of European settlers. Early colonial horse tracks quickly grew into roads especially as the colonists extended their territories southwest. Colonists began using carts as these roads and trading increased between
3927-593: The horse-drawn vehicles. In modern times, the term station wagon survives as a type of automobile. It describes a car with a passenger compartment that extends to the back of the vehicle, that has no trunk, that has one or more rear seats that can be folded making space for carrying cargo, as well as featuring an opening tailgate or liftgate. In migration and military settings, wagons were often found in large groups called wagon trains . In warfare, large groups of supply wagons were used to support traveling armies with food and munitions, forming "baggage trains". During
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#17327986549104004-407: The motion of the wheels. A London patent of 1841 describes one such apparatus: "An iron-shod beam, slightly longer than the radius of the wheel, is hinged under the axle so that when it is released to strike the ground the forward momentum of the vehicle wedges it against the axle". The original feature of this modification was that instead of the usual practice of having to stop the carriage to retract
4081-529: The north and south. Eventually, carriages or coaches were sought to transport goods as well as people. As in Europe, chariots, coaches and/or carriages were a mark of status. The tobacco planters of the South were some of the first Americans to use the carriage as a form of human transportation. As the tobacco farming industry grew in the southern colonies so did the frequency of carriages, coaches and wagons. Upon
4158-571: The novel; Lady Dalrymple was in Persuasion , while Mr and Mrs Palmer were characters in Sense and Sensibility . Barouche driving is mentioned as a fashionable pastime in Nice, Italy, in chapter 37 of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott . Chichikov, the main character of Nikolai Gogol 's " Dead Souls ", is frequently driven around in his own barouche by his servant Selifan and is also involved in
4235-472: The one illustrated in the Luttrell Psalter, would still have been a quite rare means of aristocratic transport, and they would have been very costly until the end of the century. They would have had four six-spoke six-foot high wheels that were linked by greased axles under the body of the coach, and did not necessarily have any suspension. The chassis was made from oak beam and the barrel shaped roof
4312-403: The primary materials needed to build a carriage and carriages that were used by non-royalty were covered by plain leather. Another form of carriage was the pageant wagon of the 14th century. Historians debate the structure and size of pageant wagons; however, they are generally miniature house-like structures that rest on four to six wheels depending on the size of the wagon. The pageant wagon
4389-404: The rear wheels were 7 feet (2.13 m) in diameter, and the wagons weighed 7,800 pounds (3,500 kg) empty. Freight wagons in the American West were hauled by oxen, mules or horses. Freight wagon teams would generally haul between three and thirty-five tons of freight when hauling to mining outposts. On the return, they would haul ore to steamboats or to railroad depots. A delivery wagon
4466-399: The rear-facing passengers, instead of permanent seats in that position. A barouche was an expensive four-wheeled, shallow vehicle used in the 19th century with two double seats inside, arranged vis-à-vis , so that the sitters on the front seat face those on the back seat. It has a soft collapsible half-hood folding like a bellows over the back seat and a high outside box seat in front for
4543-405: The running gear, or forecarriage , is arranged to permit the front axle to turn independently of the fixed rear axle. In some carriages a dropped axle , bent twice at a right angle near the ends, allows for a low body with large wheels. A guard called a dirtboard keeps dirt from the axle arm. Several structural members form parts of the chassis supporting the carriage body. The fore axletree and
4620-532: The same parts used in carriages and coaches, and some horse carriage terminology has survived in modern automobiles. "We must not forget that the early railway carriages were basically mail-coaches on iron wheels, and the early motor-cars differed from the horse-drawn wagonette or coupe only in so far that there was no horse tied to it." —László Tarr in The History of the Carriage The carriage driver
4697-424: The shaft with a looped strap, enables a horse to back or hold back the vehicle. The end of the tongue of a carriage is suspended from the collars of the harness by a bar called the yoke . At the end of a trace , a loop called a cockeye attaches to the carriage. In some carriage types, the body is suspended from several leather straps called braces or thoroughbraces , attached to or serving as springs. Beneath
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#17327986549104774-571: The side, with an iron step protected by leather that became the "boot" in which servants might ride. The driver sat on a seat at the front, and the most important occupant sat in the back facing forwards. The earliest coaches can be seen at Veste Coburg, Lisbon, and the Moscow Kremlin, and they become a commonplace in European art. It was not until the 17th century that further innovations with steel springs and glazing took place, and only in
4851-770: The simple, lightweight two- or four-wheeled show vehicle common in many nations is called a "cart" in the US, but a "carriage" in Australia. Internationally, there is intense competition in the all-round test of driving: combined driving , also known as horse-driving trials , an equestrian discipline regulated by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (International Equestrian Federation) with national organizations representing each member country. World championships are conducted in alternate years, including single-horse, horse pairs and four-in-hand championships. The World Equestrian Games , held at four-year intervals, also includes
4928-442: The splinter bar above it (supporting the springs) are united by a piece of wood or metal called a futchel , which forms a socket for the pole that extends from the front axle. For strength and support, a rod called the backstay may extend from either end of the rear axle to the reach, the pole or rod joining the hind axle to the forward bolster above the front axle. A skid called a drag , dragshoe , shoe or skidpan retards
5005-468: The sport known as competitive driving. The word carriage (abbreviated carr or cge ) is from Old Northern French cariage , to carry in a vehicle. The word car , then meaning a kind of two-wheeled cart for goods, also came from Old Northern French about the beginning of the 14th century (probably derived from the Late Latin carro , a car ); it is also used for railway carriages and in
5082-451: The turn of the 18th century, wheeled vehicle use in the colonies was at an all-time high. Carriages, coaches and wagons were being taxed based on the number of wheels they had. These taxes were implemented in the South primarily as the South had superior numbers of horses and wheeled vehicles when compared to the North. Europe, however, still used carriage transportation far more often and on
5159-456: The western enemies of the Shang used limited numbers of chariots in battle, but the Shang themselves used them only as mobile command-vehicles and in royal hunts. During the Shang dynasty, members of the royal family were buried with a complete household and servants, including a chariot, horses, and a charioteer. A Shang chariot was often drawn by two horses, but four-horse variants are occasionally found in burials. Jacques Gernet claims that
5236-677: The work of the Royal Household, particularly during ceremonial events. Horses pulling a large carriage known as a "covered brake" collect the Yeoman of the Guard in their distinctive red uniforms from St James's Palace for Investitures at Buckingham Palace; High Commissioners or Ambassadors are driven to their audiences with the King and Queen in landaus ; visiting heads of state are transported to and from official arrival ceremonies and members of
5313-530: The works of Jane Austen, in the volume Minor Works, as noted in Ratcliffe's sources. In the novels by Jane Austen, "Lady Dalrymple, Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, and Henry Crawford owned barouches" in which other characters rode, and Jane Austen herself on at least one occasion in 1813 rode in a barouche. Henry Crawford was a character in Mansfield Park and his barouche was the topic of two important scenes of
5390-484: Was a barouchet or barouchette . A barouche-sociable was described as a cross between a barouche and a victoria . A barouche-landau is mentioned in Emma , published in 1816 by Jane Austen . It "combines the best features of a barouche and a landau ". An illustration of the expensive and more rarely seen vehicle, on account of the expense, is shown in a paper by Ed Ratcliffe, citing editor R. W. Chapman's collection of
5467-669: Was a predominant form of freight wagon in the late 18th and 19th centuries, often used for hauling goods on the Great Wagon Road in the Appalachian Valley and across the Appalachian Mountains. Even larger wagons were built, such as the twenty-mule team wagons , used for hauling borax from Death Valley , which could haul 36 short tons (32 long tons; 33 t) per pair. The wagons' bodies were 16 feet (4.88 m) long and 6 feet (1.83 m) deep;
5544-760: Was also a status statement and subject to changing fashions. Wagon A wagon (or waggon in British English ) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods , commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from carts (which have two wheels) and from lighter four-wheeled vehicles primarily for carrying people, such as carriages . Animals such as horses , mules , or oxen usually pull wagons. One animal or several, often in pairs or teams may pull wagons. However, there are examples of human-propelled wagons, such as mining corfs . A wagon
5621-505: Was covered in brightly painted leather or cloth. The interior would include seats, beds, cushions, tapestries and even rugs. They would be pulled by four to five horses. Under King Mathias Corvinus (1458–90), who enjoyed fast travel, the Hungarians developed fast road transport, and the town of Kocs between Budapest and Vienna became an important post-town, and gave its name to the new vehicle type. The earliest illustrations of
5698-445: Was formerly called a wain and one who builds or repairs wagons is a wainwright . More specifically, a wain is a type of horse- or oxen-drawn, load-carrying vehicle, used for agricultural purposes rather than transporting people. A wagon or cart, usually four-wheeled; for example, a haywain, normally has four wheels, but the term has now acquired slightly poetical connotations, so is not always used with technical correctness. However,
5775-513: Was suspended by chains rather than leather straps as had been believed. Suspension, whether on chains or leather, might provide a smoother ride since the carriage body no longer rested on the axles, but could not prevent swinging (branlant) in all directions. It is clear from illustrations (and surviving examples) that the medieval suspended carriage with a round tilt was a widespread European type, referred to by any number of names (car, currus, char, chariot). In 14th century England carriages, like
5852-515: Was the chariot , reaching Mesopotamia as early as 1900 BC. Used typically for warfare by Egyptians, the Near Easterners and Europeans, it was essentially a two-wheeled light basin carrying one or two standing passengers, drawn by one to two horses. The chariot was revolutionary and effective because it delivered fresh warriors to crucial areas of battle with swiftness. First century BC Romans used sprung wagons for overland journeys. It
5929-456: Was used to deliver merchandise such as milk, bread, produce, meat and ice to residential and commercial customers, predominantly in urban settings. The concept of express wagons and of paneled delivery vans developed in the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, delivery wagons were often finely painted, lettered and varnished, serving as image-builders and rolling advertisements. Special forms of delivery wagon include an ice wagon and
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