A stagecoach or stage-coach was a public horse-drawn conveyance, plying regularly by stages between two towns. British stagecoaches were large, four-wheeled covered carriages, with seats inside and out, a guard's dicky, and a boot or receptacle for luggage, letters and parcels, and were drawn by between two and eight horses. Until the 19th century British stagecoaches travelled slowly, owing to the bad state of the roads. In 1784 a stagecoach operating between London and Bristol, operated by John Palmer MP was the first stagecoach to carry letters.
After 1784 there was a steady improvement in stagecoach design with lighter vehicles, called 'flying coaches', being introduced which could often attain a speed of 12 mph (19 kmh). Between 1820 and 1840 keen competition between rival stagecoach companies produced the best levels of passenger comfort. Stagecoaches were often named, the 'Taglioni' being a four-horse stagecoach that operated between Windsor and London around 1837. Research Stagecoach
Maria Taglioni was an Italian dancer. She was born in 1804 at Stockholm and died in 1884. The daughter of a ballet master, she made her first appearance at Vienna when she was eighteen years old. In 1827 she appeared in Paris and proved very popular, and for the next twenty years was the most famous ballet dancer in Europe until she retired in 1847. Research Maria Taglioni
A Taglioni was a short, braid-trimmed, men's overcoat, usually with a checked lining, fashionable in the late 19th century and named after an Italian dancer. Research Taglioni
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Stagecoach
