Journeys by Horse & Cart - Sepia Saturday

 A horse and cart, with a man trading strawberries,  features in this week’s Sepia Saturday prompt photograph.  Anyone tracing their family history may well have  a "carter or carrier " in their ancestry - an essential occupation in transporting goods around.

My great grandfather Robert Rawcliffe (1821-1904) of Hambleton, near Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire was described in censuses as a carter, but otherwise the only other "horse" connection (as I initially discovered)  in my direct line was a recollection of my father  (1908-2001),  who left school at the aged of 14. In his own words:

  "I went to work at the grocer's.  I had been an errand boy there and also worked on Saturdays with time off for soccer.  I went out in a horse and trap  delivering orders (we sold bags of corn 80 plus pounds).  The pony, a Welsh cob named Tommy, was inclined to be lazy.   At night time I rode him bareback to a field!    

This was  a surprising memory as Dad never gave any indication later in life of having the slightest interest in or affinity with horses!

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A quote from the chapter on Earlston, Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders,   "The First Statistical Account of Scotland" written 1791-1799, reads:  

"Horses are absolutely necessary in this part of the country, for it is by them the farmers labour their farms and drive their corn to market."

Sixty years on,  the 1851 census for Earlston (population 1,819)  lists 9 men working as  blacksmiths, 7 carters/carriers, 3 saddlers, 2  stable boys, an ostler, a farrier, a groom and a coachman - plus of course all those who would be working  with horses on the many farms in this rural parish.  

This meant the horse made a vital contribution to the local rural economy - as illustratd in these vintage photograph,  dating from around 1910  from my local heritage group,  Auld Earlston  - plus a coourful account from a 19th century post runner.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

A horse and cart beside the old Pump Well in Earlston's Market Square.  The Well was demolished  in 1920 to make way for the  building of the War Memorial. 

A 19th century Post Runner

In Rutherford's "Directory of the Southern Counties", published in 1866, there is an entry for David Swanston, post runner.  Somehow that term conjures up a picture of a man running around the village with his post bag, delivering the mail.  But in fact David drove a horse and cart, taking the post to the nearest town of Melrose for uplift onto the railway.

We get an account of his days  in an item published in "The Berwickshire News & General Advertiser", 21st June 1902.   It looked back at "Melrose Postmen of Olden Days", reprinting an earlier article in  "The Kelso Chronicle". 

Berwickshire News & General Advertiser: 17th June 1902

"David Swanston was the runner for Earlston, driving  a pony (called Ben) and a cart.  David's turnout was a regular institution for foot passengers on the route, and on certain days they  were packed  in the vehicle like herring in a barrel. 

On overtaking a passenger on the road, David would announce "If there's no' room the now, we will soon mak' room" and accordingly the passengers had to obey orders and creep closer together.   If on certain occasions, if he was a little jimp [?] for that time in the morning, he would  meet the scowl of the postmistress by saying that "Ben had a bad nail in his foot this mornin'".

He had to be in Melrose in time to dispatch the letters from Earlston for the first train  in the morning. 

David stabled his horse at The Ship Inn [in Melrose] and some days would say to his colleagues, "If anyone asks for me, just say I maun board ship for a minute or two, for mercy it was cauld coming over this morning".  In the summer, the excuse for boarding the ship was   "the heat is fair meltin' the day" ."

Clearly Davy was quite a characte!   He  was still working in 1871,  but died three years later aged 58. 

 

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But driving a horse and cart could be fraught with dangers, and vintage newspapers abound with graphic accounts of accidents and deaths - such as the one that involved my great great grandfather Henry Danson (1804-1881) who I had first researched many years previously.

 

I am a regular checker of newspapers online  and in a very casual browsing  of the Danson name,  I came across, only two years ago,   a wonderful find in newspapers that had only recently been indexed -  an obituary and a coroner’s report  on Henry's death - and discovered information on Henry that was completely new to me.

 

 

 

What a lovely description of my great great grandfather  - and a wonderful find, as in Britain,  unlike  the USA,  it is not customary to write such tributes to a person, unless they have made their mark in some distinctive way in their community - as clearly Henry Danson had.  I  had no idea he was well known locally as "an expert in horse flesh" and had never heard of the breed of Robin Hood horses, as Robin Hood country was much further south around Nottingham.

But as I then found there were some omissions in the obituary on the nature of Henry's death.  For another newspaper report  revealed the details.

 

 

 

 Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser: Wednesday 02 November 1881

“FATAL FALL FROM A CART. On Monday evening Mr. Gilbertson held an inquest at Poulton-le-Fylde, on the body of Henry Danson, collector of the Shard Bridge tolls. The deceased, who was 75 years old, was riding in a cart with Mr. John  ? farmer, on the way to Poulton, when the horse took fright and jumped forward. Danson was standing in the cart leaning on his stick at the moment he  was jerked out upon the road. He was attended Mr. Winn, surgeon, but could never walk afterwards, his left thigh being injured, and he had an attack of pleurisy fortnight before his death, which occurred on Thursday night last. The jury returned verdict of Death  from the effects of injuries received, and resulting illness, through fall from a cart."

It is both sad and ironic that Henry,  noted for his skill with horses,  should have died,  whilst driving his horse and cart.   

This was a lesson  that it is always worthwhile going back to check newspapers online on a regular basis.

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And finally a little horse and cart  which brings back memories of my mother - a talented stitcher who made this soft toy.   It always came out at Christmas with the cart filled with sweets or nuts. 

 

 

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