Dogcart
Encyclopedia
A dogcart is a light horse-drawn vehicle
. There are several types:
A young or small groom called a "tiger" sometimes rode, usually standing, on a platform at the rear of a dogcart driven by the person on whom he was in attendance.
Frequent references to dogcarts are made by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
in his writings about fictional detective Sherlock Holmes
, and indeed by many other Victorian writers
, as it was a common sight in those days
.
Fashions in vehicles changed quickly in the nineteenth century, and there are a bewildering variety of names for different types. The dog-cart bears some resemblance to the phaeton
, a sporty, lightly sprung one-horse carriage; the curricle
, a smart, light vehicle that fits one driver and passenger, but with two horses; the chaise
or shay, in its two-wheeled version for one or two people, with a chair back and a movable hood; and the cabriolet
, with two wheels, a single horse, and a folding hood that can cover its two occupants, one of whom is the driver.
Horse-drawn vehicle
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load...
. There are several types:
- A one-horse carriageCarriageA carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
, usually two-wheeled and high, with two transverse seats set back to back. It was known as a "bounder" in British slangBritish slangBritish slang is English language slang used in the UK. Slang is informal language sometimes peculiar to a particular social class or group and its use in Britain dates back to before the 16th century...
(not to be confused with the cabrioletCabriolet (carriage)A cabriolet is a light horse-drawn vehicle, with two wheels and a single horse. The carriage has a folding hood that can cover its two occupants, one of whom is the driver. It has a large rigid apron, gracefully upward-curving shafts, and usually a rear platform between the C springs for a groom...
of the same name). In India it was called a "tumtum" (possibly an altered form of "tandemTandemTandem is an arrangement where a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction....
").
- A dogcart having four wheels and seats set back to back was a dos-à-dos. "Dos-à-dos" means back-to-back in French.
- Another four-wheeled dogcart was called a "game cart".
A young or small groom called a "tiger" sometimes rode, usually standing, on a platform at the rear of a dogcart driven by the person on whom he was in attendance.
Frequent references to dogcarts are made by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
in his writings about fictional detective Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, and indeed by many other Victorian writers
Victorian literature
Victorian literature is the literature produced during the reign of Queen Victoria . It forms a link and transition between the writers of the romantic period and the very different literature of the 20th century....
, as it was a common sight in those days
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
Fashions in vehicles changed quickly in the nineteenth century, and there are a bewildering variety of names for different types. The dog-cart bears some resemblance to the phaeton
Phaeton (carriage)
Phaeton is the early 19th-century term for a sporty open carriage drawn by a single horse or a pair, typically with four extravagantly large wheels, very lightly sprung, with a minimal body, fast and dangerous. It usually had no sidepieces in front of the seats...
, a sporty, lightly sprung one-horse carriage; the curricle
Curricle
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...
, a smart, light vehicle that fits one driver and passenger, but with two horses; the chaise
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 shay, in its two-wheeled version for one or two people, with a chair back and a movable hood; and the cabriolet
Cabriolet (carriage)
A cabriolet is a light horse-drawn vehicle, with two wheels and a single horse. The carriage has a folding hood that can cover its two occupants, one of whom is the driver. It has a large rigid apron, gracefully upward-curving shafts, and usually a rear platform between the C springs for a groom...
, with two wheels, a single horse, and a folding hood that can cover its two occupants, one of whom is the driver.