Susanna Calkins, Author
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How fast could a horse travel in the 17th century anyway?

8/27/2012

17 Comments

 
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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...

All of those variables can be manipulated by you to produce a factual outcome. Do the roads have to be muddy? Can more than a few horses be used (dog sleds can handle 20mph up to 25 miles) at a clip.If you manipulate all of those items, you can get comfortably close to what you require as a compromise...Every vampire movie I have ever seen from back in the day involves somebody racing through a countryside with 4- 6 horses pulling. More horses=less strain for a given load = longer run time...

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Susie link
8/28/2012 06:26:55 am

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!

Reply
Matt
8/28/2012 01:38:26 pm

This is a great insight into the countless questions that an author must answer!

I'm reminded of an article I read recently written by Tom Hanks about Nora Ephron, right after her passing. He relayed a story about the first Ephron film he'd seen--well before they worked together on Sleepless in Seattle--that took place in NYC. There was a scene where the main character had to travel across Manhattan and Hanks was struck by the fact that Ephron filmed the exact route one needed to take to get from point A to point B. He was floored by the accuracy and said that he'd never seen that before...and rarely since.

Although somewhat interesting, my thought was: does it really matter? I live in the land where all John Hughes movies were filmed and none of the "nearby locations" are actually nearby each other. This fact certainly doesn't change my enjoyment.

I'm happy to accept some creative license on minor things like "how long does it take to get from point A to B." 15 hours or 4 hours...I'm willing to go with it. I just want to know what happens when you get there!

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Susie Calkins link
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!

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Basha O'Reilly link
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

Reply
Susie Calkins link
8/29/2012 09:23:28 am

Basha--this is really interesting. I wonder if my horses could be trotting instead of walking?

Reply
Basha O'Reilly link
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.

Susie link
9/6/2012 01:31:10 am

Thanks Basha! You're going to be my go-to equestrian expert now! :-)

Reply
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

Reply
Susie link
9/6/2012 06:17:23 am

Chris--an excellent suggestion! I'm definitely getting the sense that this is the way to go!

Reply
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7/31/2013 08:22:35 pm

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.

Reply
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!

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4/12/2021 12:28:51 am

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    Susanna Calkins

    Historian. Mystery writer. Researcher. Teacher.  Occasional blogger.

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  • Home
  • Lucy Campion Mysteries
    • A Murder at Rosamund's Gate
    • From the Charred Remains
    • The Masque of a Murderer
    • A Death Along the River Fleet
    • The Sign of the Gallows
    • The Cry of the Hangman
    • Death Among the Ruins
  • The Speakeasy Murders
    • Murder Knocks Twice
    • The Fate of a Flapper
  • Short Stories
  • Blog
  • News & Events
    • Event Photos
    • Archived Guest Posts & Interviews
  • The Roaring Twenties
  • 17th c. England
  • Writing Resources
  • Nonfiction
  • New Page