Curricle
Encyclopedia
A curricle was a smart, light two-wheeled chaise
or "chariot", large enough for the driver and a passenger and— most unusual for a vehicle with a single axle
—usually drawn by a carefully matched pair of horses. It was popular in the early 19th century: its name — from the Latin curriculum, meaning "running", "racecourse" or "chariot" — is the equivalent of a "runabout
" and it was a rig suitable for a smart young man who liked to drive himself, at a canter. The French liked the English-sounding term "carrick" for these vehicles. The lightweight swept body with just the lightest dashboard
hung with a pair of lamps was hung from a pair of outsized swan-neck leaf springs at the rear. For a grand show in the Bois de Boulogne
or along the seafront at Honfleur
, two liveried mounted grooms might follow.
In Northanger Abbey
Henry Tilney drives a curricle; John Thorpe drives a gig
, but buffoonishly praises it as "curricle-hung". Margaret Sullivan found that Jane Austen
's assignment of vehicles to the two men was far from arbitrary.
Curricles were notorious for the accidents their drivers suffered. Thus, in the romance novel Miss Carlyle's Curricle by Karen Harbaugh, the heroine inherits the curricle in which her uncle died in a racing accident.
Chaise
A chaise, sometimes called chay or shay, is a light two - or four-wheeled traveling or pleasure carriage, with a folding hood or calash top for one or two people....
or "chariot", large enough for the driver and a passenger and— most unusual for a vehicle with a single axle
Axle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
—usually drawn by a carefully matched pair of horses. It was popular in the early 19th century: its name — from the Latin curriculum, meaning "running", "racecourse" or "chariot" — is the equivalent of a "runabout
Runabout (carriage)
A horse-drawn runabout is a four-wheeled vehicle for informal, utilitarian travel or "running about" and getting things done. Sometimes called a "driving wagon", it is essentially very light in order to be easily hitched by one person, and easily pulled over long distances by a single horse.A...
" and it was a rig suitable for a smart young man who liked to drive himself, at a canter. The French liked the English-sounding term "carrick" for these vehicles. The lightweight swept body with just the lightest dashboard
Dashboard
A dashboard is a control panel placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle....
hung with a pair of lamps was hung from a pair of outsized swan-neck leaf springs at the rear. For a grand show in the Bois de Boulogne
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne is a park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine...
or along the seafront at Honfleur
Honfleur
Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...
, two liveried mounted grooms might follow.
In Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. According to Cassandra Austen's Memorandum, Susan was written approximately during 1798–99...
Henry Tilney drives a curricle; John Thorpe drives a gig
Gig (carriage)
A gig, also called chair or chaise, is a light, two-wheeled sprung cart pulled by one horse.-Description:Gigs travelling at night would normally carry two oil lamps with thick glass, known as gig-lamps. Gig carts are constructed with the driver's seat sitting higher than the level of the shafts. ...
, but buffoonishly praises it as "curricle-hung". Margaret Sullivan found that Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's assignment of vehicles to the two men was far from arbitrary.
Curricles were notorious for the accidents their drivers suffered. Thus, in the romance novel Miss Carlyle's Curricle by Karen Harbaugh, the heroine inherits the curricle in which her uncle died in a racing accident.
External links
- The Curricle. Morven Park - Westmoreland Memorial Foundation - Winmill Carriage Museum.
- Landscape Property|Regency|Georgian|history|lifestyle|house | Gigs, Cabriolets and Curricles. Jane Austen Centre Bath UK England: Magazine.