Earl Of Shrewsbury. Earl Of Waterford. Earl Talbot. (Part Seven).

Arms of Talbot-Chetwynd.

Quarterly: 

1st and 4th: Gules, a Lion Rampant 

within a Bordure Engrailed Or (for Talbot).

2nd and 3rd: Azure, a Chevron 

between three Mullets Or (for Chetwynd).

Date: 25 June 2017.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Author: Wikimandia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

The Seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury was once Alton Towers, until it was sold in 1924 by the infant 21st Earl’s Trustees. The family Seat is still in Staffordshire, near Ashbourne and Uttoxeter.

The family Crypt is the Shrewsbury Chapel in Sheffield Cathedral. In 2013, it was discovered that the majority of the Shrewsbury coffins had gone missing from the burial chamber.[6] 

The current Earl has been appointed High Steward of Sheffield Cathedral. The other family Crypt – that of the Chetwynd-Talbot Earls of Shrewsbury – is at the Church of Saint Mary The Virgin, Ingestre, Stafford.

Three other members of the Talbot family may also be mentioned:

The Hon. John Talbot, son of the first Earl of Shrewsbury by his second wife Margaret Beauchamp, was created Viscount Lisle in 1451;

Admiral the Hon. Walter Carpenter (who assumed the surname of Carpenter in lieu of his patronymic Chetwynd-Talbot), second son of the eighteenth Earl, was a Naval Commander and Member of Parliament;

Major-General the Hon. Sir Reginald Talbot, third son of the eighteenth Earl, was a Soldier, Politician and Colonial Governor.

Title-Holders.

Earls of Shrewsbury. First Creation (1074):

Roger de Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (died 1094);

Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury (died 1098);

Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury (1052–1113) (forfeit 1102).

Earls of Shrewsbury. Second Creation (1442):

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, 1st Earl of Waterford, 7th Baron Talbot, 10th Baron Strange of Blackmere (1387–1453);

John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, 2nd Earl of Waterford, 8th Baron Talbot, 11th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 7th Baron Furnivall (1413–1460);

John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, 3rd Earl of Waterford, 9th Baron Talbot, 12th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 8th Baron Furnivall (1448–1473);

George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 13th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 9th Baron Furnivall (1468–1538);

Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury, 5th Earl of Waterford, 11th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 10th Baron Furnivall (1500–1560);

George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl of Waterford, 12th Baron Talbot, 15th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 11th Baron Furnivall (1528–1590);

PART EIGHT FOLLOWS.

Tenth Sung Mass (“Missa Cantata”) In The Last 488 Years In This Mediæval Church (Since 1538).

Saint Augustine’s Church, Snave, Ashford, Kent.

A Sung Mass (“Missa Cantata”) will be Celebrated here

on Saturday, 26 September 2026, 1200 hrs.

Travel Directions are given, below.

It is possible that a small private Chapel stood on this site before the present building was commenced in the

Late-13th-Century.

The East End is unusual in that the Lady Chapel

(more recently used as a School Room)

vies for importance with the Chancel.

Declared redundant in 1983,

Saint Augustine’s Church is now entirely maintained

by The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust.

Text: © 2014 Joan Campbell.

Photograph: © 2014 John Hendy.

Illustration:

THE ROMNEY MARCH HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST

Missa Cantata at Saint Augustine’s,

Snave (near Ashford, Kent), September 2015.

That was the first time in 477 years that a Sung Mass

(Missa Cantata) had been Celebrated in this beautiful Mediæval Church on Romney Marsh, Kent, England.

On Saturday, 26 September 2026, 1200 hrs, there will be Celebrated another Missa Cantata in this lovely Church.

Illustration: LATIN MASS SOCIETY

The Latin Mass Society returns to Snave

for a Missa Cantata, at 12 Noon,

Saturday, 26 September 2026.

Saint Augustine’s Church is one of the Mediæval Churches in the care of the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust, who have given permission for us to Celebrate this Divine Mass.

Light refreshments will be served after Mass.

Missa Cantata.

Saint Augustine’s Church,

Snave, Ashford, Kent TN26 2QJ.

Saturday, 26 September 2026,

1200 hrs.

The Missa Cantata Mass on Saturday, 26 September 2026, 1200 hrs, will be offered for the repose of the Soul of Mrs. Marygold Turner (R.I.P.), who instigated this wonderful devotion and worked tirelessly to ensure it continued.

Marygold died on 29 June 2026.

May she rest in peace.

Requiescat in pace.

Travel Directions to Saint Augustine’s Church,

Snave (near Ashford), Kent TN26 2QJ.

By Road.

Leave the M20 at Junction 10.

Follow the A2070 towards Hastings.

After, approx, 9.3 miles, take the Slip Road

to the LEFT (signposted “SNAVE”).

After about 800 metres (half a mile),

at the small Post-Box (on a column) (on your LEFT),

TURN LEFT,

and you have arrived at the Church.

(N.B. Google Maps mark the destination

as “Manor Farm”).

By Rail.

Frequent Trains to ASHFORD INTERNATIONAL.

Then take a Taxi to SNAVE.

Permission for this Mass at Saint Augustine’s Church,

Snave, Ashford, Kent, has been kindly given by

THE ROMNEY MARSH HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST

Snave Church is one of a group of Mediæval Churches built

to serve very small communities on Romney Marsh, in Kent.

Now redundant, they are in the care of the

Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust,

who have given permission for us to Celebrate Mass

on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at 1200 hrs.

Missa Cantata.

Saint Augustine’s Church,

Snave, Ashford, Kent TN26 2QJ.

Saturday, 26 September 2026, 1200 hrs.

Permission for this Mass at Saint Augustine’s Church,

Snave, Ashford, Kent, has been kindly given by

THE ROMNEY MARSH HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST

“I’ll Sing A Hymn To Mary”.

“I’ll Sing A Hymn To Mary”.

Available on YouTube

HERE

“I’ll Sing A Hymn To Mary”.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Saint Maurice And His Companions. Martyrs. Feast Day 22 September. Red Vestments.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Saint Maurice And His Companions.
   Martyrs.
   Feast Day 22 September.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

Meeting of Saint Erasmus and Saint Maurice.

Artist: Mathias Grünewald.

Date: Circa 1520.

Current location: Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project (2002)

10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM),

distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

ISBN: 3936122202.

(Wikimedia Commons)

 

“The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice”.

Artist: Romulo Cincinato (1502–1593).

Cincinnato placed emphasis on the execution scene,

which has been brought into the foreground.

Date: 1583.

Current location: El Escorial, Madrid, Spain.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art

(Wikimedia Commons)

When Emperor Maximian led his Army into Gaul, The Theban Legion, composed of 660 Soldiers under the command of Saint Maurice, refused to take part in the ceremonies in honour of the gods.

The Soldiers were massacred out of hatred for the name of Christ, about 286 A.D., at Agaunum, now called Saint Maurice (Valais, Switzerland).

Mass: Intret.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲙⲱⲣⲓⲥ) was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd-Century A.D., and one of the favourite and most-widely Venerated Saints of that group.

He is the Patron Saint of several professions, locales, and Kingdoms. He is also a highly-revered Saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and other Churches of Oriental Orthodoxy.

According to hagiographical material, Maurice was an Egyptian, born in 250 A.D. in Thebes, an ancient City in Upper Egypt that was the Capital of the New Kingdom of Egypt (1575-1069 B.C.).

Maurice became a Soldier in the Roman Army. He was gradually promoted until he became the Commander of the Theban Legion, thus commanding, approximately, a thousand men. He was an acknowledged Christian at a time when Early Christianity was considered to be a threat to The Roman Empire. Yet, he moved easily within the pagan society of his day.

The Legion, entirely composed of Christians, had been called from Thebes, in Egypt, to Gaul, to assist Emperor Maximian in defeating a revolt by the Bagaudae. The Theban Legion was dispatched with orders to clear The Great Saint Bernard Pass across The Alps.

Before going into battle, they were instructed to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods and pay homage to the Emperor. Saint Maurice pledged his men’s military allegiance to Rome. He stated that service to God superseded all else. He said that to engage in wanton slaughter was inconceivable to Christian Soldiers . He and his men refused to worship Roman deities.

However, when Emperor Maximian ordered them to harass some local Christians, they refused. Ordering the Legion to be punished, Maximian had every tenth Soldier killed, a Military punishment known as Decimation. More orders followed; the men refused, as encouraged by Maurice, and a second Decimation was ordered.

In response to the Theban Christians’ refusal to attack fellow Christians, Maximian ordered all the remaining members of his Legion to be executed. The place in Switzerland where this occurred, known as Agaunum, is now Saint-Maurice, Switzerland, site of The Abbey of Saint Maurice.

Saint Thomas Of Villanova. Bishop And Confessor. Feast Day 22 September. White Vestments.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Saint Thomas Of Villanova.
   Bishop.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 22 September.

Double.

White Vestments.

Saint Thomas of Villanova.

Artist: Simone Cantarini (1612-1648).

Date: First half of the 17th-Century.

Current location: Pinacoteca Civica, Fano, Italy.

Source/Photographer: fondazionecarifano.it/

Progetti/cantarini/fano_per_cantarini_opere.html

(Wikimedia Commons)

Thomas was born in Spain in the 15th-Century. From his earliest childhood he had the tenderest compassion for The Poor. Having entered The Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine, he was soon made Superior, and, after having refused the Archbishopric of Granada, he was forced to accept that of Valencia.

He thus shared in the Eternal Priesthood of Christ (Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Offertory). He spent on The Poor the large revenues of his Church, and, on the day of his death, in 1555, he gave away his last Penny, and died on a bed which did not even belong to him.

The Church, therefore, Celebrates especially in this Pontiff “his extraordinary Charity towards The Poor” (Collect, Antiphon of The Benedictus).

Mass: Státuit.
Secret: Sancti Thomæ.
Postcommunion: Deus fidélium.
Commemoration: Saint Maurice and Companions.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Saint Thomas of Villanova O.S.A. (1488–1555) was a Spanish Friar of the Order of Saint Augustine, who was a noted Preacher, Ascetic and Religious Writer of his day. He became an Archbishop, who was famous for the extent of his care for the Poor of his See.

Ottobeuren Abbey, Bavaria, Germany. (Part Four).

 

The façade of Ottobeuren Basilica, 

designed by Johann Michael Fischer, has been 

hailed as the pinnacle of Bavarian Baroque architecture.

Photo: 21 June 2019.

Source. Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Attribution: Diego Delso.

Author: Diego Delso.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rococo-Style Nave of Ottobeuren Abbey.

Photo: 21 June 2019.

Source. Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Attribution: Diego Delso.

Author: Diego Delso.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

In 1834 King Ludwig I of Bavaria [Grandfather of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who created Neuschwanstein Castle] restored it as a Benedictine Priory, dependent on Saint Stephen’s Abbey, Augsburg.

The Priory had care of a large Parish and an Industrial School of sixty or seventy orphans, whom the Lay Brothers instructed in various Trades.[10] 

It was granted the status of an Independent Abbey in 1918.

Baroque Pulpit, 

Ottobeuren Abbey, Bavaria, Germany.

Photo: 3 March 2009.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic 

and 1.0 Generic Licence.

Author: Johannes Böckh and Thomas Mirtsch.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As of 1910, the Community consisted of five Reverend Fathers, sixteen Lay Brothers, and one Lay Novice, who had under their charge the Parish of Ottobeuren, a District School, and the Industrial School for Poor Boys.

Ottobeuren has been a Member of the Bavarian Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation since 1893.

Ottobeuren Abbey has one of the richest music programmes in Bavaria, with Concerts every Saturday. 

Most Concerts feature one or more of the Abbey’s famous Organs. The old Organ, the masterpiece of French Organbuilder Karl Joseph Riepp (1710 – 1775), is actually a Double Organ; it is one of the most treasured historic Organs in Europe. 

It was the main instrument for 200 years, until 1957 when a third Organ was added by G. F. Steinmeyer & Co., renovated and augmented in 2002 by Johannes Klais, making 100 Stops available on five Manuals (or Keyboards).

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON OTTOBEUREN ABBEY.

Stagecoaches: “The Portsmouth Regulator”; “The Tally-Ho”; “Perseverance”; “The Royal Mail”; “The Light Post”; “The Night Post”; “The British Queen”; “Erin-Go-Bragh”; “The Rocket”; “The Hero”; “The Blue-Eyed Maid”.

The London-to-Brighton Royal Mail Stagecoach 

(Route Number 6) outside “The Bull and Mouth”, 

Western Coach Office, Lombard Street, London.

Illustration: LILAC COTTAGE WONDERS

Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield

arrives in London by Stagecoach.

Illustration: 

THE BRITISH POSTAL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVE

Pip and Estella meet outside “The Cross Keys”, London.

The Red-and-Black Royal Mail Stagecoach

forms part of the background in

Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations”.

Illustration: 

THE BRITISH POSTAL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVE

The Victorian-era Glasgow-to-London

Royal Mail Stagecoach (Route Number 25).

Illustration: SCOTLAND FOR THE SENSES

The “Tally-Ho”.

Hampton Court-to-Dorking, Surrey, Stagecoach.

Illustration: THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD

The following Text is from THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD

And now, before we proceed further along

The Portsmouth Road, we must “Change Here” for Dorking,

a Coach-Route greatly favoured of late years, both by

Mr. Rumney’s “Tally-ho” Coach, and Mr. E. Brown’s “Perseverance,” by way of a relief from their accustomed haunts, to Saint Alban’s, and elsewhere.

“The Perseverance” (which, alas !, no longer perseveres)

left Northumberland Avenue at 1100 hrs and came down the old route until Surbiton was passed, when it turned off

by way of Hook and Telegraph Hill, by Prince’s Coverts

to Leatherhead, and so into Dorking.

“The Perseverance”.

Mid-Victorian Advertisement for a new Stagecoach Service

(The Perseverance) from Manchester to Sheffield.

Illustration: BRICKS

Mr. Rumney’s “Wonder”—bah ! what do I say ? — I should say that gentleman’s “Tally-ho” ran to Dorking in 1892, what time "The Perseverance” also ran thither, and a fine seven-and-sixpenny ride it was, there and back. By “there and back” I do not name the route between London and the old Surrey Town. Oh no; Mr. Rumney’s was quite an original idea.

“He gave Londoners the benefit of a Country drive throughout, and ran between the sweet rurality of Hampton Court and Dorking. At 11.10 hrs, every morning, he started from “The Mitre Hotel”, and so, across Hampton Bridge, to Ditton and Claremont, and thence to Dorking . . .

“. . . This event brings us to the threshold of the Coaching era, for, in 1784, four years after The Gordon Riots, Mail-Coaches were introduced, and the roads were set in order. Years before, when only the slow Stagecoaches were running, a journey from London to Portsmouth occupied fourteen hours, if the roads were good !

"Nothing is said of the time consumed on the way in the other contingency; but we may pluck a phrase from a public announcement towards the end of the 17th-Century that seems to hint at dangers and problematical arrivals. “Ye ‘Portsmouth Machine’ sets out from ye Elephant and Castell, and arrives presently by The Grace of God . . .”

In those days, men did well to trust to Grace, considering

the condition of the roads; but, in more recent times, 

Coach-proprietors put their trust in their cattle

and McAdam, and dropped the piety.

“The New Times”.

Guildford, Surrey, Stagecoach.

Illustration: THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD

The Inner Court-Yard of “La Belle Sauvage” Inn, Ludgate Hill, London, from where “The Rocket” Stagecoach would depart every morning at 0830 hrs and arrive at “The Fountain” Inn, Portsmouth, at 1730 hrs in the afternoon.

Date: 19th-Century.

Source: “The Story of The House of Cassell” (1922).

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

“The Rocket” Stagecoach.

Emerging from “La Belle Sauvage” Inn,

Ludgate Hill, London.

Date: 19th-Century.

Source: “The Story of The House of Cassell” (1922).

Author: Engraving, after James Pollard (1792-1867).

(Wikimedia Commons)

A fine crowd of Coaches left London Town, daily, in the 1820s. The “Portsmouth Regulator” left at 0800 hrs and

reached Portsmouth at 1700 hrs in the afternoon; 

“The Royal Mail” started from “The Angel”,

by Saint Clement’s, Strand, at a quarter-past seven every evening, calling at “The George and Gate”, Gracechurch Street, at eight, and arriving at “The George”, Portsmouth, at

ten minutes past six the following morning;

“The Rocket” left “La Belle Sauvage”, Ludgate Hill,

every morning at half-past eight, calling at “The White Bear”, Piccadilly, at nine o'clock, and arriving (quite the speediest Coach of this road) at “The Fountain”, Portsmouth, at half-past five, just in time for tea; while “The Light Post” Coach took quite two hours longer, leaving London at eight

in the morning, and only reaching its destination in time

for a late dinner at seven p.m.

“The Night Post” Coach, travelling all night, from seven o’clock in the evening to half-past seven the next morning,

took an intolerable time; “The Hero”, which started from

“The Spread Eagle”, Gracechurch Street, at eight a.m., did better, bringing weary passengers to their destination in ten hours; and “The Portsmouth Telegraph” flew between “The Golden Cross”, Charing Cross, and “The Blue Posts”, Portsmouth, in nine hours and a half.

“The Red Rover”.

Guildford-to-Southampton Stagecoach.

Illustration: THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD

The following Text is from SLEEPING GARDENS

In the early 1800s, when the roads had improved 

beyond all recognition, travel eventually became ‘almost’ pleasurable. Stagecoaches were able to attain speeds

of up to 10 mph – cutting journey times by hours, 

and, in some cases, by days. What had been a two day journey from London to Cambridge (sixty-one miles) in 1750,

was possible in just six hours by 1836.

London pre-dominated as the hub of all Stagecoach services up until the 1750s, but, within ten years, Stagecoach services were operating between all major Towns and Cities and the number of provincial links had increased dramatically.

Local services were still served by Carrier’s Carts, 

generally operating between Public Houses, but the much larger Inns, offering accommodation and fine food, were always the starting and terminating points for those travelling longer distances.

In the 1780s, “The Post Coach” would take you direct from Stourbridge, (previously Worcestershire, now West Midlands) to London, by Lunchtime the next day.

Illustration: BLACK COUNTRY BUGLE

By the time “The Cambridge Telegraph” was in service in the Early-1800s, the Stagecoach left London daily at 9.00 in the morning (except Sunday) and arrived in Cambridge at

“The Sun Inn” at 3.00 in the afternoon.

The return journey commenced in Cambridge at 01.00 in the morning and arrived at “09.00 the same morn”. By 1836, the time had been cut to six hours and one Stagecoach left Cambridge at 10.00 a.m. daily, whilst another left London

at the same time to travel in the opposite direction.

Ideally, there were four Stagecoaches called

“The Cambridge Telegraph” – two at each end, one in service, and the other in reserve.

In the Late-1700s, it cost £4 a month,

including the wages of horse-keepers and stable-hands,

to keep a Stagecoach horse on the road.

The horses trotted and tried to keep a steady pace of ten miles an hour. Galloping could only be sustained for a short distance and was only indulged in to make up lost time.The lifespan of a horse on a Stagecoach route was only three to four years and they were then sold to farmers for lighter duties.

“The Tantivy” Stourbridge-to-Birmingham Stagecoach.

The driver in the picture is Jake Gardner and the 

Stagecoach stands at its starting point, The Old King’s Head, Stourbridge High Street. The Landlord, William Vale, can also be seen, inside the Stagecoach, about to load a large Wicker Basket. The Public House, demolished over a Century ago, stood where Lloyds Bank stands today.

Date: Circa 1860.

[Editor: If you are wondering where the name “Tantivy” came from, it was an old hunting cry, given at a full gallop.]

Illustration: BLACK COUNTRY BUGLE

Due to the population’s desire to travel, Stagecoach capacity was increased. The maximum number of six passengers (carried in the 1740s) was increased to eight or ten (inside and out) by the end of the Century, and, by 1810, Stagecoaches were large enough to carry up to eight people inside, in ‘reasonable’ comfort, with eight more taking their places outside – open to the elements but at a much reduced fare.

There were accidents though, carrying so many people,

as well as their luggage, often led to Stagecoaches 

tipping over on the more winding roads.

Journeys were also invariably long and tedious and frequent stops were made at Inns along the way. Tired horses would be changed for a fresh team and passengers were allowed ten - twenty minutes for refreshments. For Inn-keepers, the Stagecoaches were a lucrative trade.

A Royal Mail Worcester-to-London Stagecoach 

(Route Number 17) decorated in the Black and Scarlet 

Post Office Livery in 1804.

From The Costume of Great Britain, 1808 

(originally issued 1804), written and engraved

by William Henry Pyne (1769-1843).

Source: Houghton Library at Harvard University

Author: William Henry Pyne (1769–1843).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Although the Stagecoach era spanned 200 years, the real boom was between 1810 and 1830. During this time, a Nationwide network of services had been formed and some 3,000 Stagecoaches, and 150,000 horses, both Private and Mail, were employed in the transportation of people.

Freight continued to be carried by the more efficient Canal System until the 1830s, but then went by Railway, as did The Mail, from London. It was the arrival of the Railways that put the final nail in the Stagecoach’s coffin, for, although they continued to be used in rural areas for some years to come, most people wanted to travel by Railway.

The following Text is from BLACK COUNTRY BUGLE

The photo, above, of “The Tantivy” Stagecoach, probably dates from around 1860, when regular Stagecoach services were in their dying days. Perhaps the unknown photographer wanted to preserve for posterity a vanishing way of life.

“The Tantivy” Stagecoach ran from

Stourbridge to Birmingham, departing at 10 a.m. every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and called at Cradley, Halesowen and Rowley, en route. One of its Staging Posts, where it took on fresh horses, was at The New Inn, Halesowen, demolished in the 1950s.

Several other Stagecoaches ran from The Old King’s Head, Stourbridge High Street. In the 1820s, John Jolly ran Stagecoaches from Stourbridge to Dudley, Worcester, 

and London.

Departing on Mondays and Wednesdays, William Cox ran a service to Wolverhampton. In the Mid-1830s, Thomas Wastel ran Stagecoaches to Wolverhampton and Dudley on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Thomas Ward ran a Thursday service to Wolverhampton and Stafford.

Travelling by Stagecoach was arduous and slow. They were often overcrowded, which sometimes led to overturning. Those riding inside the Stagecoach were cramped, while those travelling outside had to cling on for dear life, while soaked and freezing in Winter. At best, the Stagecoaches averaged seven miles an hour, over roads that could be treacherous.

It was not uncommon for paving stones to be stolen from the roads, while ruts and potholes could be axle-breaking deep; the nursery rhyme “Dr Foster went to Gloucester” was inspired by the poor nature of the roads. Added to that, passengers were required to dismount on steep hills,

in order to spare the horses.

Things improved with the Turnpike Roads. With all road users, whether travelling by horse, by Stagecoach, or driving cattle, charged for using them, the roads could then be maintained, and safety and speed improved.

Acts of Parliament were required to create a Turnpike Trust and Stourbridge’s first was passed in 1753. The first stretch of road to be Turnpiked ran from the Old Town Hall to Wordsley.

The number of Turnpikes grew and by the 1780s Stourbridge folk could take a Stagecoach from “The Talbot Hotel” to “The Crown Inn”, Worcester, a journey that took around half a day.

On three days in the week, travellers could take The Holyhead-to-London Post Coach, which passed through Stourbridge, arriving in London for Lunchtime the next day. This cost the princely sum of £1 7s. 0d., roughly equivalent to £150 in today’s money, or half that if you were prepared to travel on the outside of the Stagecoach, unprotected from the elements.

Stourbridge’s last Turnpike Act was passed in 1816 and concerned the road to Bridgnorth. The money generated by the Turnpikes was used to improve the roads in Stourbridge and, in the 1800s, the steepness of Lower High Street was reduced, new Streets in the Town were laid out and a new, wider, Bridge over The River Stour was built.

Nigel Perry, in his book “A History of Stourbridge” (2001), writes: “In the 1840s, the Stagecoaches serving Stourbridge had romantic names, such as “The British Queen”,

“Red Rover”, “Erin-go-Bragh”, “Rocket”, “Everlasting”,

“Bang-Up”, “Greyhound”.

Journeys could be made directly

from Stourbridge to Birmingham, Brierley Hill, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Kidderminster, Bewdley, Tenbury, Leominster, Ludlow.

Stagecoaches on Birmingham and Worcester routes were owned by Joseph Gardner of Windmill Street. Another Carrier was Joseph Pemberton, who ran Stagecoaches to Birmingham, Bristol, Dudley, Tipton, Worcester, from “The Coach and Horses Inn”, High Street”.

The death knell for Stagecoaches was sounded in 1852, when The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway opened its station at Stourbridge. It became Stourbridge Junction in 1863, when a line to Cradley Heath was opened. That was extended to Old Hill in 1865 and, in 1867, on to Smethwick, from where the Line connected with The Great Western Railway’s route from Birmingham to Wolverhampton. The Line to Stourbridge Town was completed in 1879.

The old Stagecoaches could not compete with the Railways; rendered obsolete, they went out of business. The last Royal Mail Stagecoach service, from London to Norwich (Route Number 19) closed in 1846, after which long distance Mail was carried by Railway.

The 1888 Local Government Act dissolved the remaining Turnpike Trusts and placed Main Roads under the care of

the newly-created County Councils.

The Bath-to-London Royal Mail Coach (Route Number 14).

Illustration: BRICKS

The York-to-London Royal Mail Coach (Route Number 105).

Illustration: BRICK

Photographs of the old Stagecoaches are rare, there being a relatively short overlap between the new technology of photography and the old Stagecoaches, but at least one

Black Country Stagecoach was preserved for posterity. If you are wondering where the name "Tantivy" came from, it was an old hunting cry given at full gallop.

The Dover to London Coach’s name was “The Blue-Eyed Maid” and the Pub in Borough High Street, London, has that name.

The following Text is supplied by Copilot, which may be inaccurate at times.

It was only the Royal Mail Stagecoach Routes that were numbered, NOT the Stagecoaches, themselves. 

Commercial Stagecoach Companies did not carry numbers, but they often gave names to their Stagecoaches (see, above).

Routes radiating from London.

These are the principal Royal Mail routes known to have carried numbers in Victorian times. Please be aware that this is not a comprehensive list:

No. 1 — London → Dover.

No. 2 — London → Canterbury.

No. 3 — London → Hastings.

No. 4 — London → Exeter.

No. 5 — London → Portsmouth.

No. 6 — London → Brighton.

No. 7 — London → Bristol.

No. 8 — London → Southampton.

No. 9 — London → Oxford.

No. 10 — London → Cambridge.

No. 11 — London → Birmingham.

No. 12 — London → Worcester.

No. 13 — London → Gloucester.

No. 14 — London → Bath.

No. 15 — London → Salisbury.

No. 16 — London → Plymouth.

No. 17 — London → Liverpool.

No. 18 — London → Holyhead (the Irish Mail).

No. 19 — London → Norwich.

No. 20 — London → Yarmouth.

No. 21 — London → Ipswich.

No. 22 — London → Colchester.

No. 23 — London → Lincoln.

No. 24 — London → Edinburgh (via York).

No. 25 — London → Glasgow.

No. 26 — London → York.

No. 27 — London → Newcastle‑upon‑Tyne/

No. 28 — London → Hull.

No. 29 — London → Carlisle.

No. 30 — London → York (alternate Northern Mail).

No. 31 — London → Shrewsbury.

No. 32 — London → Chester.

No. 33 — London → Derby.

No. 34 — London → Nottingham.

No. 35 — London → Leicester.

No. 36 — London → Sheffield.

No. 37 — London → Leeds.

No. 38 — London → Manchester.

No. 39 — London → Preston.

No. 40 — London → York (Night Mail).

No. 41 — London → Durham.

No. 42 — London → Lincoln (alternate).