The First Edinburgh-Glasgow Royal Mail Coaches – 3. Middle Route

Copy of article from 'The Scottish Post Winter 2005 No108 pp7-9'    by kind permission of the author: Bill Cochrane   

Introduction

Plans for a Mail Coach from Edinburgh to Glasgow were first considered in 1788 as an extension of the newly established Royal Mail Coach services to Edinburgh and Glasgow from London. However, delays were encountered. In April/May1796, Mr. Ronaldson, GPO Surveyor states “a proposition made of Establishing Mail Coaches betwixted Edinburgh and Glasgow, proceeded to Glasgow by the new line of Road to meet with Mr. Edwards……consulting with him in regard to the proposed Edinburgh-Glasgow Coaches, returning to Edinburgh.” This new road was the recently completed (October1795) Bathgate-Airdrie Turnpike Road on lower and flatter ground between Uphall and Blackridge. The previous passenger stagecoach route was over the Bathgate and Craig Hills with its many steep inclines and difficult muddy terrain in winter. However, after many delays and uncertainties over which route to use, the first Royal Mail Coaches began to run from Edinburgh to Glasgow in June 1805 (Southern route by Whitburn)(Cochrane 2004 and another in April 1810 (Northern route by Linlithgow, Falkirk and Kilsyth)(Cochrane 2005). These mail coaches continued for about the next 20 years until the PO started to run night Mail Coaches on the Middle route by Bathgate and Airdrie.


1828-1843

In 1828, departure times of the Mail Coaches from Edinburgh were at 11am (via Whitburn-Holytown) and 9.15pm (via Linlithgow-Kilsyth) every day except Sundays. On Sundays only the 9.15pm night Mail Coach was in operation. There was another Mail Coach that passed through Linlithgow and Falkirk en route to Stirling which departed Edinburgh at 4.45 in the afternoon. Although no announcements by the Post Office, about the start of a night Mail Coach via the middle route, were found, a night Mail Coach by the Bathgate-Airdrie route commenced running in October-December1828. At about the same time the Edinburgh-Glasgow night Mail Coach via Linlithgow-Falkirk-Kilsyth appears to have been discontinued. The 1829-30 PO Directory listing of Mail Coaches reflected the changes - Morning (by Whitburn), Evening (by Bathgate) and the Stirling Mail Coach. There is now no mention of the Linlithgow/Kilsyth Mail Coach route to Glasgow

 

Delivery by Mail Coach caused the Bathgate Postmaster to write to Mr. Charles Reeves, PO Surveyor in Edinburgh requesting an increase in salary due to the additional expense caused by the recent change-over from a Horse Post to a Night Mail Coach. His letter is:

Post Office Bathgate

3rd Feb. 1829

Sir,

Owing to the alteration of the Mails I find it will require some person to carry up and

down the letter bags and attend upon the Mail Coach from 11 to 1 o’clock past midnight.

I have engaged my very faithful letter carrier George Shanks to do it without being able to pay what he shall have for the doing.

I beg to say that I am made to understand that Salary has been given in similar cases and I hope you will have the goodness to take the Matter into Consideration and let me hear from you as soon as convenient.

I am Sir, Your Most Obt Ser t

John Jamieson

The cost of a single letter from Edinburgh to Bathgate was 6d and to Airdrie 7d.

 

Mr. Reeves wrote to Mr. Godby, PO Secretary, Edinburgh on the 9th Feb. 1829 explaining the request; “The village of Bathgate is not intersected by the direct road between Edinburgh and Glasgow, & the Post Office which is in the center of the village is probably nearly a quarter of a mile off the road. The salary allowed to the deputy is small, only £10 per Ann. out of which he cannot be expected to make any allowance for……… carrying the bags to & from the Coach & at the rate of speed of Coaches the Guard is not available for such service. In a similar case (at Kilsyth) an allowance of £8 per Ann. was given – namely £3 for a Receiving House on the roadside & £5 for conveying the bags & I beg to submit a similar allowance in the present instance.”

 

Mr. Godby in turn wrote to the GPO in London on the 12th Feb. He also gave additional information: “ If I understand the question right, the Road passes thro’ a considerable portion of the Town in a direct line, altho’ the principal part of it lies much to the North of it, and in ……part of it, nearly a quarter of a mile from the Mail Coach Road, the Post Mr resides. While Bathgate was served by a Horse Post ……it was of little consequence, as the Horse would, of course, go to the Office in whatever part of the Town it might be, but now that the Town is served by a Mail Coach traveling at great speed, it is necessary to keep the direct Road and it does not admit of time for the Guard to go to the Office while the horses are changing. If the Town was at any distance from the Mail Road, however short, I should have no hesitation in recommending the allowance, but it is not customary to make an allowance to a Postmaster to carry his Bags from one part of the Town to another to meet the Mail Coach because he happens not to reside on the direct line thro’ it. The Postmaster’s Salary, however is so small it can scarcely be expected he should be at the expense of removing without some remuneration, and I should prefer recommending the sum proposed by Mr. Reeves rather as an increase to his Salary, on the condition that, he should remove the Office to the line of the Mail Coach, than as an allowance for conveying the Bags to it, which would establish an inconvenient precedent.”

 

Mr. Hasker, GPO London forwarded his recommendation on the 16th Feb.1829 to the PMG: But as specific allowances of this nature are made in many other cases, I think the application should not be mixed with the subject of Salary, especially as in the event of the discontinuance of the Mail Coach, the necessity for the allowance would cease – For these reasons I should rather view it as an Incidental Expense & if your Grace should also so consider it I presume you will authorize it accordingly (Post 40, Minutes, No 150). It was approved by Lord Manchester and a Receiving House was established on the Mail Coach line of road. By 1837 the Mail Coach from Glasgow to Edinburgh, by way of Airdrie and West Craigs Inn (Blackridge), called at Walter Forrester’s (Fig.1), Bridge Street, Bathgate “every morning at one” while the other Mail Coach from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Broxburn and Uphall called at Forrester’s “every night at half-past eleven” (Pigot’s 1837). The location of the Receiving House would be at or near to Forrester’s establishment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mail Coach Route was the road

on the right (South Bridge St.)

Forrester's was on the left next to the street lamp.

On the left - (North Bridge St) leads to the Post Office -(Jarvey St./ Hopetoun St)

 

 

The Mail Coach was still running in 1842 although the PO was considering the conveyance of the mails by railway. There was a proposal in March 1842 for the discontinuance of “allowances for Messengers connected with the Day Mail Coach ……at Bellshill, Holytown and Whitburn… these places being already serviced from the night Mail via Airdrie & Bathgate…” (Post 37 Vol.1 1842 No.537). Arrangements were subsequently made for Bathgate to receive its mail by cart from Linlithgow Station and the Mail Coach discontinued. The Receiving House at Bathgate lasted until 1843. A memorandum to the Postmaster General from Tho. Lawrence on 17th January 1843 outlines its discontinuance: “I presume your Lordship will approve of my informing the Surveyor that he will do quite right to discontinue the Allowance for the Receiving Office on the line of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Night Ride at Bathgate as well as the runner in connection with it from the Post Office, as this service have been rendered obsolete by the abolition of the Ride and a saving of £10 a year will be effected by this discontinuance.” (Post 37 Vol.2 Dec.1842-Nov.1843, No 1120)

 

References

Bill Cochrane The Scottish Post, Part 1 No.104 pp8-11(2004): Part 2 No.105 pp10-13 (2005)

Edinburgh and Leith PO Directory 1829-30, p25

Post 40 Postmaster General’s Reports: Documents 1791-1841

Post 37 Scottish Minutes: Volumes 1842-1920

 

Acknowledgements

 

The generous help of Andrew Bethune, Edinburgh Public Library and Sybil Cavanagh, West Lothian Library Service, Blackburn is gratefully appreciated.