 As I work on From the Charred Remains, the second book in my Lucy Campion series, I keep getting plagued by this question: How long would it take a horse and carriage to travel from London to Oxford in the mid-seventeenth century?
Check out my post at the Bloody Good Read on this topic! Let me know what you think!
17 Comments
Jaynes
8/28/2012 03:03:44 am
Resident super engineer here... History tends to lose answers to simple questions often, without a means to record them...If you need to do it now, chances are somebody had to do it back then....You have variables, dry vs mud roads, # of horses, condition of wheels, weight of carriage...how hard are they driving the horses...horses don't all move at the same speed, meaning there will be really fast horses at the extreme ends of the bell curve...maybe these are the ones your using... Ah Jaynes...so good to think about this stuff. I was thinking I would have to do some unwanted and drastic scene-cutting. However, perhaps, I can finagle this. He's a successful journeyman, he could muster four horses. Maybe it hasn't rained in a while--the roads won't be muddy. Maybe they don't need to go all the way to Oxford. Or of course if the horses are un-dead, these physical variables won't matter at all!
Matt
8/28/2012 01:38:26 pm
This is a great insight into the countless questions that an author must answer! 8/29/2012 09:17:37 am
Matt, its not like I expect my doctoral adviser to come at me with her famed blue pen, but for me, there's a real issue of historic integrity that needs to be maintained. At the same time, I think you're right though...are readers going to really say--'hey wait a minute, no one could travel that distance in 5 hours?' Maybe I'll just add this to my historic note--sort of like the limitations section for creative writers! 8/28/2012 06:01:09 pm
The Long Riders Guild Academic Foundation has published a helpful Equestrian Writers Guide. http://www.lrgaf.org/guide/writers-guide.htm 8/29/2012 09:23:28 am
Basha--this is really interesting. I wonder if my horses could be trotting instead of walking? 9/2/2012 09:59:36 pm
Hello Susie! Obviously it depends on how fit your horses are, but there is a good argument for trotting some of the time. This means you get to the end of the day's travel more quickly, and therefore the horses have more time to rest and graze.
Chris
9/6/2012 06:05:29 am
Chris says bend the story;-). Just have them stop at a pub and get a drink...ha ha ha 6/11/2013 02:48:25 pm
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Hey, read your post on bloodygoodread. Surprised to know that you even noticed such simple things to write a masterpiece like 'From the Charred Remains'. So it is that tough to write a historical mystery! I appreciate your efforts! Regards.
Karen Tinsley
3/31/2018 11:44:35 am
Just found this info! I'm a horse owner, beginning rider, and writing my first novel (17th century) I needed this level of detail. Will be sharing! 4/12/2021 12:28:51 am
Thank you very much for sharing this. I'm planning to buy a horse and I'm little bit curious about this information. 10/2/2021 03:38:41 am
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Susanna CalkinsHistorian. Mystery writer. Researcher. Teacher. Occasional blogger. Categories
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