As part of my search for the location of Thomas KINGHORN’s accident I have been looking once again at the route of the London to Glasgow mail coach. Although I have been focusing quite specifically on the section between between Carlisle and Glasgow, it is interesting to look at the complete journey as a whole.
Obviously the complete journey would not have been made by the same driver, guard or horses (maybe not even the same coach) because the journey time was 57 hours in total. The itinerary below is based on a time bill of 1797, which recorded the stage, distances, time allowed and who was responsible for each section of the route. It is taken from the book The Mail-Coach Men of the late Eighteenth Century by Edmund Vale (Cassell & Company Ltd, London), which includes examples for all the main mail coach routes.
| Time Allowed | Distance | |||
| Day One | 8:00 pm | Depart General Post-office, London | ||
| 9:15 pm | Whetstone | 1 hr 15 mins | 10 miles | |
| 11:05 pm | Brickwall | 1 hr 50 mins | 14½ miles | |
| 12:52 am | Baldock | 1 hr 47 mins | 14½ miles | |
| 2:52 am | Eaton | 2 hrs | 18 miles | |
| 4:27 am | Alconbury Hill | 1 hr 35 mins | 13 miles | |
| 5:17 am | Stilton | 50 mins | 7 miles | |
| 7:02 am | Stamford | 1 hr 45 mins | 14 miles | |
| - Breakfast | 30 mins | |||
| 10:22 am | Grantham | 2 hrs 50 mins | 21 miles | |
| 12:12 pm | Newark | 1 hr 50 mins | 14 miles | |
| 1:57 pm | Tuxford | 1 hr 45 mins | 13 miles | |
| 3:27 pm | Barnaby Moor | 1 hr 30 mins | 10½ miles | |
| - Dinner | 40 mins | |||
| 5:52 pm | Doncaster | 1 hr 45 mins | 14 miles | |
| 7:57 pm | Ferrybridge | 2 hrs 5 mins | 15 miles | |
| - Supper | 30 mins | |||
| 10:37 pm | Wetherby | 2 hrs 10 mins | 16¾ miles | |
| Day Two | 12:07 am | Boroughbridge | 1 hr 30 mins | 12 miles |
| 1:37 am | Leeming Lane | 1 hr 30 mins | 12 miles | |
| 2:57 am | Catterick Bridge | 1 hr 20 mins | 11 miles | |
| 4:37 am | Greta Bridge | 1 hr 40 mins | 14 miles | |
| 6:07 am | Spittal (Inn) | 1 hr 30 mins | 9½ miles | |
| - Breakfast | 25 mins | |||
| 8:47 am | Appleby | 2 hrs 15 mins | 17½ miles | |
| 10:42 am | Penrith | 1 hr 55 mins | 14 miles | |
| 1:02 pm | Carlisle | 2 hrs 20 mins | 18 miles | |
| - One hour break | 1 hr | |||
| 3:17 pm | Longtown | 1 hr 15 mins | 10 miles | |
| 5:12 pm | Ecclefeckan | 1 hr 55 mins | 14 miles | |
| 6:32 pm | Dinwoodie Green | 1 hr 20 mins | 11 miles | |
| 7:52 pm | Moffat | 1 hr 20 mins | 11 miles | |
| - Refreshment | 25 mins | |||
| 11:07 pm | Abingtown | 2 hrs 50 mins | 19 miles | |
| Day Three | 2:47 am | Laverock Hall | 3 hrs 40 mins | 23½ miles |
| 4:57 am | Arrive Post-office Glasgow | 2 hrs 10 mins | 14½ miles | |
| Total | 57 hrs | 405¾ miles |
As you can see it was quite a journey, 57 hours in total from London to Glasgow with very few breaks along the way. In comparison the journey from London to Glasgow by train takes about four and a half hours these days and by coach/bus is about eight and a half hours.
I think about 10 minutes strapped into the seat at the back of the mail coach would have been enough for me, let alone the many hours that the mail guard had to endure in all weathers.
