53/8

This carrier's wagon, thought to have been built in 1780, was used by a carrier called Webb of West Wickham, Cambridgeshire. It was used to carry goods between Cambridge, Streetley and London, the journey in each direction taking four days. At least four horses were required to draw the vehicle, which was at one time fitted with a canvas cover.

1 wagon: wood; metal (iron)

Article - Viner, D. 2012 'US wheelwrights study Reading wagon collection'. Old Glory, 206 (July 2012), p.17', MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'WAGON (CAMBRIDGESHIRE ROAD) // DATE ACQUIRED: March, 1953 // GROUP: TRANSPORT Land goods horsedrawn // NEGATIVE: // PERIOD: c.1780 // PLACE OF ORIGIN: T. W. Bagshawe, Esq. // NUMBER: 53/8 // DESCRIPTION: This heavy road wagon is said to have been built in 1780 and was used by a carrier called Webb of West Wickham, Cambridgeshire. The wagon itself was used to carry goods between Cambridge, Streetley End and London, the journey in each direction taking four days. At least four horses were required to draw this vehicle, which was at one time fitted with a canvas cover. // SUMMARY OF CONSTRUCTION AND DIMENSIONS ...' [n.b. this is one of two MERL 'Catalogue index' cards, which differ very slightly - this example has no photographic print on the reverse], Letter, Jill Goodwin to Jill Betts, 5 July 1985 - ‘[annotation in Jill Bett's handwriting] No real evidence that 53/8 is the Webb wagon but it was similar. [end annotation] ... // Dear Mrs Betts, // Thank you so much for sending the picture of the Webb wagon which you unearthed so cleverly from your archives… // I went very early so that I could call upon my Cousin Jack Webb of Streetly Hall, West Wickham, on the way… // Jack was most interested in the wagon and thinks it must be the one that Reginald Lambeth gave to you, and which was outside his house (along with a formidable row of man traps) for several years. [annotation in Jill Bett's handwriting] There is a cross reference to S. Webb under R. Lambeth in the Donor index but no donor card for Webb. Did we once receive a wagon from the Webb family via Mr Lambeth? If so I can find no trace of it. JMB. [end annotation] We are both extremely puzzled by the bit about it being used as a carrier’s wagon for my Great great Grandfather was a very large farmer and there is no record of it being used to go to London. However it is extremely like the three large road wagons that my father used when I [‘I’ scored through] was a child for carting loads of corn to the railhead at Clare and bringing back a load of steam coal on the return journey… [page break] // … Have you any method of dating the Webb wagon? I should really love to know if it is 200 years old and could be the one which was used in the family migration from Thurlow to West Wickham in the early 1800s… // Yours sincerely, Jill Goodwin’ [n.b. this is not a complete transcript of the letter but contains all the information of relevance to this artefact], MERL OLIB database note – 'It is a road wagon, representing the closest relative of the continental wagon, and the direct predecessor of the farm wagon. In general construction and appearance, the East Midlands wagon is similar to this vehicle [c.f. MERL 56/242].'

1780 - 1780

Wood, Metal, iron

Webb (Subject)