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Home Gallery Mail Coach Guard’s timepiece (mid nineteenth century)
Mail Coach Guard’s timepiece (mid nineteenth century)
Before the mid-19th century, there was no one set time that applied across the UK. Instead, local areas had their own local times, often just a few minutes apart. When mail coaches were established in Britain in the 1780s, the Mail Coach guard had a timepiece, which was set to London time, as local mean time varied from place to place. The timepiece was used to keep pace and record the coach’s arrival and departure times at each stage of its journey.
This wood and brass example is inscribed 'Presented by H Harley in c 1896 Engraved no. 47 W R A General Post Office Edward Smith Dublin'.
