The Medieval Coachman: The Man Who Was Trusted to Carry People, Goods, and News Across the Country.

The Medieval Coachman: The Man Who Was Trusted to Carry People, Goods, and News Across the Country.

Today I want to continue our look into medieval jobs. This time I want to take a closer look at the medieval coachman. A coachman was responsible for driving people, goods, messages, and sometimes very valuable cargo from place to place.

 

The word coachman became more common later in history. Earlier in the medieval period, men doing similar work were usually called carters, wagoners, or cart drivers. Even though the names changed, the job was still very important.

 

In medieval times, travel was, as you can imagine, a lot slower and far more difficult than it is today. Roads were usually just muddy tracks. They had deep ruts, stones, and puddles. In winter they were almost impossible to use. Heavy rain would often turn them into thick mud. A coachman needed skill, patience, and endurance.

Coachmen and cart drivers handled wagons, carts, and carriages, all of which were pulled by horses or oxen. Some of them worked for wealthy nobles, merchants or bishops but some even worked for royalty. Others were hired to transport goods between towns and villages.

A coachman needed to be able to care for horses. He would have had to ensure that they were healthy enough to make the long journeys. Horses were valuable and expensive, so it was important to look after them.

Many coachmen had to start working before the sun had come up. They would have to  load the cargo, check the wheels on the carts and prepare the animals before they could set off. They had to remain alert at all times. One wrong move on a road could cause a serious accident.

The dangers on the road were very real. Bandits and thieves did target travellers carrying money or valuable goods. A coachman could suddenly find himself faced with armed robbers. When there was bad weather it created even bigger problems. Thick fog, snow, or heavy rain could make it difficult to see, which made it even more dangerous. If the wheels broke or an axle got damaged it could leave them stuck or stranded for hours.

For the coachman who worked for noble families, there must have been extra pressure. He could be responsible for the safety of some very important people. If a lord, lady, or a wealthy merchant got injured whilst he was driving there could be consequences. Good coachmen built up a reputation and could become highly valued.

Wages varied depending on who they worked for and how good they were at the job. A trusted coachman that was working for a noble or wealthy merchant could earn more than a general coachman, often with food and lodging included. This was usually better than the wages of many unskilled workers, though the long hours and hard work meant it was well earned.

 

Does the job of the medieval coachman sound harder than you expected?