Framland Carriers

Northern Framland Carriers
as detailed in trade directories circa 1877.

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Carriers formed a vital link between the scattered communities prior to the coming of the railways in the late nineteenth century and even later in the isolated rural communities, providing transport for goods and people between the various locations.
 

Carriers have had a long history in England developing from the earliest times of the carrier with packhorse or pannier horses, through to the present day carrier and their diesel lorries and busses.

Many carriers were probably farmers etc. who required carts for their main business carrying their neighbour’s goods to market at the same time as their own. Carriers, as with many nineteenth century tradesmen, often had other occupations, some conveniently tied in with their practice of bringing coal, cloth, tea and various other small items required by the local villagers.

 

The basic farm carts used by early carriers later developed into covered carts with benches down either side allowing more “comfort” for passengers.

Prior to the Turnpike roads of the latter end of the 17th century carriers were faced with almost impassable winter roads as the poor surface turned into a quagmire.

Long distance carriers would break their routes into stages, in a similar way to stage coaches, with overnight stops at regular inns who would cater to the needs of their passengers.

 

Carriers were often used as the busses of yesterday with the passengers sharing the ride with an assortment of animals including – chickens, rabbits, ducks and even occasionally goats and sheep.

Dependent on the location of a house there could be two or three carriers a day passing and the occupants of the properties adjacent to the carriers route would hang out a flag or other sign perhaps even a stone on a gatepost to alert the carrier that they wanted to travel with him or had some produce to be delivered.

 

Due to a law passed to prevent accidents (early precursor to present day tachographs) the carrier was not allowed to drive from the cart but had to walk or ride alongside the cart and lead his/her team from there.

 

The carrier would arrive and depart from a particular inn at a set time and day, timetables of carriers leaving and the places they served were posted in the 18th century but it is likely that such routes were common knowledge to the locals well before then.

 

Carriers in the main respected their chief asset (their horses) and it was not uncommon for passengers to be asked to get out and walk up the hills to save the horses.

Journeys by carrier were leisurely affairs with the cart not going above a gentle walking pace and making many stops enroute to collect or deliver produce.

 

It is worth noting the following definition from the Oxford English Dictionary.

Cadger – A carrier; especially one who travels between town & country with butter, eggs, etc. and shopwares; a hawker, a street-seller

The following example gives a vivid description of the carrier and his trade.1

“The carrier on his own account also collected produce from local farms to sell in nearby markets or in town shops on behalf of the farmer. Even at the end of the nineteenth century one old Leicestershire carrier remembered collecting thousands of eggs and a large quantity of poultry each week for sale in the county town. At Christmas time rods or poles were fixed to the top and sides of the cart and hundreds of birds suspended from them, for eventual disposal to a shopkeeper with whom prior arrangements had been made.”

The routes shown on the map are those assumed (by consulting maps of the period) to be taken rather than definite designated routes, in many cases only the starting point and destination are fixed but is logical to assume that the carrier would take a more or less direct route whilst encompassing as many villages as possible.

It is supposed that the routes would vary slightly each trip, depending on whether a delivery or collection had to be made to a farm or village or not.

 

Red lettering unconfirmed information

 

Ab Kettleby

Thos. Martin, grocer, coal dealer & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (King’s Head) Tuesday

To Nottingham Saturday

 

Asfordby

Thomas H Waterson, cartowner & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Eight Bells) Tuesday

Barkestone

William Shelbourne, farmer & carrier

To Grantham  (Fox & Hounds) Saturday

George Cant, shopkeeper, coal dealer & carrier

To Nottingham Saturday

Mrs Mary, grazier & carrier and Thomas Hornbuckle, carrier

To Nottingham (Crown) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Bottesford

Thomas Blackbourn, carrier, High Street

To Grantham (Granby) Saturday

To Newark Wednesday

William Hand, grazier & carrier, Easthorpe

To Grantham (Blue Lion) Saturday

To Newark (White Horse)Wednesday
Martin John, grocer & Temperance Hotel, Easthorpe
To Newark (White Hind) Wednesday
Whitehead John, farmer & grazier
To Newark (Generous Briton) Wednesday

 

Branston

Henry Ryder, shopkeeper & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Bishop Blaise) Tuesday                                                             

To Grantham  (Blue Man) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Long Clawson

Enoch Patchett : Joseph Robinson : Harry Scarborough

To Melton Mowbray (White Lion) Tuesday

Enoch Patchett, draper & carrier

To Nottingham Saturday

Joseph Robinson, carrier

To Nottingham (Shoulder of Mutton) Wednesday & Saturday
George Stubbs, grocer & butter factor
To Nottingham (Black Bull) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Coston

Wm. Rose, farmer, grazier & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Bishop Blaise) Tuesday

 

Croxton Kerrial

Robert Farnsworth, carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Granby) Tuesday

Robert Farnsworth
To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Wednesday & Saturday

Edward Ward, grocer, coal dealer & carrier

To Grantham (Fox & Hounds) Wednesday & Saturday

Durrands
To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday

 

Old Dalby (Dalby-on-the-Wolds)

John Woodford, carrier

To Leicester Saturday

To Loughborough (Unicorn) Thursday

To Melton Mowbray (White Lion) Tuesday


Eastwell
Richard Harrison
To Melton Mowbray (Half Moon) Tuesday

John Hubbard
To Melton Mowbray (King’s Head) Tuesday

 

Eaton

Richard Harrison, carrier
To Melton Mowbray (Half Moon) Tuesday

To Grantham (Fox & Hounds) Saturday

John Hubbard, carrier
To Melton Mowbray (King’s Head) Tuesday

To Grantham (Blue Bell) Wednesday & Saturday

Edmunthorpe

Thomas Sleath, grocer, beer retailer & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Granby) Tuesday

 

Garthorpe

Wm. Rose (of Coston)

To Melton Mowbray (Bishop Blaise) Tuesday

 

Goadby Marwood

Hubbard

To Melton Mowbray (King’s Head) Tuesday
Harrison

To Melton Mowbray (Half Moon)Tuesday

 

Harby

Thomas Kemp, carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Half Moon) Tuesday
Samuel Starbuck, farmer, grazier, cab proprietor, & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (White Lion) Tuesday
Thomas Kemp &

To Nottingham (Swan) Wednesday & Saturday
Samuel Starbuck
To Nottingham ((Wheatsheaf)) Wednesday & Saturday
Pick
To Nottingham (Golden Ball) Wednesday & Saturday


Hose
William & Walter Stubbs, coal merchant & carrier
To Melton Mowbray (Jolly Butcher) Tuesday
To Nottingham (Black Bull) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Knipton

John Hubbard (of Eaton)

To Grantham (Blue Bell) Wednesday & Saturday

Henry Ryder (of Branstone)

To Grantham (Blue Man) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Muston

John Topps, carrier

To Grantham (Blue Lion) Saturday

 

Melton Mowbray
Durrands
To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday
Everett
To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday

 

Plungar

William Morris, cottager & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (White Lion) Tuesday

To Nottingham (Black’s Head) Saturday

Richard Dewey, carrier

To Newark (Robin Hood) Wednesday

To Nottingham (Durham Ox) Tuesday & Saturday

 

Redmile

Richard Copley, carrier

To Newark (Angel) Wednesday

To Nottingham (Crown) Saturday

Edward Roberts, carrier

To Bingham Thursday

To Grantham (Blue Man) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Saltby

John Duffin, farmer, grazier & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Peacock) Tuesday

Thomas Mount, farmer, grazier & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Granby) Tuesday & Friday

John Duffin & Thomas Mount

To Grantham (Blue Bull) Saturday

 

Saxelby
Woodford
To Melton Mowbray (White Lion) Tuesday

 

Scalford

William Allen

To Melton Mowbray daily

 

Somerby

Wm. Wheat, carrier

To Leicester Saturday

To Melton Mowbray (Crown) Tuesday & Thursday

Coddington
To Grantham (Blue Ram) Monday, Thursday & Saturday

Harwood

To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday
Sentence
To Grantham (Blue Ram) Saturday

 

Sproxton

John Pick, grazier & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Black Swan) Tuesday
Geo. Everitt, carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Black’s Head) Tuesday
Geo. Everitt & John Pick

To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday

 

Stathern

Thos Hall, coal dealer & carrier

To Grantham (Blue Bull) Tuesday & Saturday

Isaac Poyzer, grazier & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (White Lion) Tuesday
Edward & John Alderman, coal dealer & carrier : Isaac Woodcock, postmaster & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Black’s Head) Tuesday

To Nottingham (Swan) Saturday

Edward Alderman, carrier

To Nottingham (Swan) Wednesday & Saturday

 

Stonesby

Henry Brewster, grazier & carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Black Swan) Tuesday

To Grantham (Blue Bull) Saturday

Waltham-on-the-Wolds

Thomas Mount (of Saltby)

Henry Ryder (of Branstone)

To Melton Mowbray Tuesday

John Hubbard (of Eaton)
To Melton Mowbray (King’s Head) Tuesday

Henry Brewster (of Stonesby)
To Melton Mowbray (Black Swan) Tuesday
Henry Brewster (of Stonesby)
To Grantham (Blue Bull) Saturday
Durrands
To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday

 

Wymondham
Thomas Hickman, carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Bishop Blaise) Tuesday

William Shields, carrier & coal merchant

To Melton Mowbray (Black’s Head) Tuesday

Francis Shields, carrier

To Melton Mowbray (Crown) Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday

Thomas Hickman
To Grantham (Cross Swords) Saturday
Shields
To Grantham (Malt Shovels) Saturday

 

 

1. Labouring Life in the Victorian Countryside author Pamela Horn published by Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd. (isbn 0-86299-409-8) return to text

The above illustrations by W.H. Pyne (cir 1802) as appears in The Turnpike Age, published by the Luton Museum & Art Gallery

 

 

 Copyright Guy Etchells © 2004 All rights reserved.

Permission is granted for all free personal and non-commercial uses. It is my intention to make all data contained herein freely available for all private, non-profit and non-commercial uses. Commercial use of any portion contained herein is expressly prohibited.
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Guy Etchells is the maker of the database contained within and the owner of the database rights.
First published in 2004.

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