On Stagecoaches

 On the same newspaper page as the New Jerusalem minister Rev Baylay's advert of 1839 for his private school in Church, there is an advert for a nightly stagecoach from Preston departing 7 pm arriving Newcastle 9 am. This is before the railway came, but after the turnpike roads were built. This timing is very impressive even though there were no hostile injuns or robber gangs with hankies around the nose and mouth. The early 19th C was a boom time for stagecoaches. The idea that there were no decent roads until the 20th C is misplaced. Want to go South? The Defiance will get you from Manchester to London in 30 hours in 1799. Would you like to go sea-bathing at the genteel resort of Blackpool? A new coach service (new in 1836) leaves from the Legs of Man Inn, Blackburn at 6:45 am for Mr Simpson's Royal Hotel, Blackpool, returning at 3 pm to arrive back in Blackburn at 8 pm. I would not recommend this trip now. There were many other adverts for scheduled services.

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