The History of Hackney Carriages
Hackney carriages are as British as the pubs they pick up their patrons. When you consider that the word hackney is French (as in a ‘hacquenée’ horse) it has a rather complicated history which has definitely been overlooked. Providing a little history is important as the cab industry is always changing.
Here is the origin story of a second-hand market that became big business and changed the roads of the Country.
Hackney carriages appeared at the beginning of the 17th century in London, because a horse and carriages (very much like now) were expensive to keep and the wealthy wanted to recoup some of these costs. The second-hand market could be considered thriving at the time, as even the oddest objects could be rented, even a pineapple! Luxury was necessary to aid that social climb, but owning any large asset drained the coffers.
But unlike a pineapple, the carriages and horses last a little bit longer. Finally, older carriages would be sold off to innkeepers and merchants. This would create a smaller rental market of carriages that could be used for those who could afford them.
When discussing the history of the hackney carriage there is a split between coaches and cabs. In the beginning, the coaches would be recognised on the roads of the 17th and 18th Centuries. These coaches were repurposed carriages from the gentry class now being used by lower patrons and proprietary.
The industry grew alongside the infrastructure of the City. By this point, London was reaching around 677 acres. Roads were tight and many of the buildings in London were built with timber. By 1662 an Act of Parliament began regulating this market due to the explosion of use and limited the carriage licences to 400.
In 1666 London was hit with a tremendous fire, due to the tightly compacted housing and the flammable liquid used as building materials (pitch which made thatched roofs waterproof) about 436 acres were scorched by the fire.
In response, parliament instated the 1667/1670 Rebuilding Act. Amongst many design improvements and restrictions on materials (which were known to… go up in flames), newly widened streets and the proximity to certain buildings became enshrined in law. Carriages were recognised in how they impacted the roads and designs were put in place to better cater for them in various areas of London. By 1694 parliament increased carriage licences to 700. However, this did not improve the PR of the hackney carriage, which in the last century had developed a sort of reputation. They were known for excessive prices and were also badly kept. The trade was not seen as reputable.
The office for licensing hackney coaches was organised in 1696, under the direction of commissioners; they included a code of regulations. The drivers had penalties for extortion, carelessness, rude behaviour, &c. by which the public benefitted. By the 18th Century, there were over 1000 Hackney carriages in the City.
In the 1760s, mention of what could be considered congestion was often discussed. The french then once again influenced the direction of the industry as the hackney cab was brought over as a popular alternative.
The hackney cab was quite a different article from a hackney coach. The cab was a two-wheeled, one-horse vehicle, and held only two passengers. This was a cheaper, smaller mode of transportation. In the 19th century, the city was increasing in size due to the emergence of the industrial revolution and the growing gentry and landowning class. The use of the cab freed up space and lessened the congestion created by the larger coach.
However! At first, the transition in Great Britain was not direct. Politics reflected a strong monarchy with the aid of a democracy which included the landowning class.
The growing popularity of the cabins soon thoroughly alarmed the hackney coachman, who at first had jeered at the new vehicle and prophesied a short career for it.
They endeavoured to get their licence plates transferred to cabs they were unsuccessful. Cab proprietors of that period relied on nepotism to own a license. At the time parliament restricted this to 150 licenses. Those who owned these licenses occupied government appointments and influenced the industry. They could monopolise the business to a few employees who they controlled. This was done as so to keep trade in their own hands.
This creates a rather interesting contrast of class. One using older coaches (based on the transport of the gentile class) is seen as lower class, and the higher class monopolises a vehicle for its own workforce.
Dickens on Cabs p.211–212:
“A hackney-cab has always been a hackney-cab, from his first entry into public life; whereas a hackney-coach is a remnant of past gentility, a victim to fashion, hanger-on of an old English family, wearing their arms, and, in days of yore, escorted by men wearing their livery, stripped of his finery, and thrown upon the world, like a once smart footman when he is no longer sufficiently juvenile for his office, progressing lower and lower in the scale of four-wheeled degradation until it comes to a stand.”
In 1832 the restrictions were lifted. Coach drivers were able to transfer their licences to the cab. Factories created smaller vehicles, cheaper and faster. The industry grew.
Alas, with progress into the mechanical age, the hackney horse was replaced. Developed in the shadow of the carriage the design of the car very much resembled that of a carriage.
The dashboard, for instance, is the wooden board between the carriage and the horse. It now resembles the divider between man and engine. In a similar fashion, the hackney cab now meant a mechanical horse by hire.
The first proper petrol-powered and metre-equipped taxi cab was the Daimler Victoria, which came into service in 1897. Its design would develop and become world famous.
Modifications to its design have resembled the progress of the industry. Entering the 2000s electric vehicles are now becoming more adaptable to the environment, and technology redefines the industry.
In 300 years the second-hand carriage business became an institution within the Country. The use of the Hackney Cab impacted the design of the roads. It evolved when hit by tragedy and progress. If history is to be believed it will continue to do so in the future.
