Coachmen were the people entrusted with the management of a person’s carriage and horses. It was important they be reliable, honest, and wise, as a traveler’s safety depended on these traits. For instance, when traveling in a coach, loose nuts and bolts was a frequent occurrence, and, “a Careful Coachman” was said to be the person willing to check the coach every fortnight for any possible loose nuts or bolts and then screw them tight but also do it with such “care [as to] not to injure the Paint with the Wrench.”
There were also fifteen things a good Georgian coachman would not do. Here they are in their entirety.
He will not gratify a greedy Innkeeper, Hackney man. Hay Fanner, Coachmaker, Sadler, or other Tradesman, at the expense of his Employer; but, in laying out his Master’s Money, will be as careful as if it was his own.
He will not leave his Master to the care of the…
Source: 18th and 19th Century: Fifteen Things a Good Georgian Coachman Would Not Do.
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