The
term "coach" is believed to come from the name of the Hungarian town
Kocs (pronounced "kôch"), where a primitive form of coach is said to
have developed from a kind of German agricultural wagon.
As early as 1457 one of these carriages was sent by King Ladislas of
Hungary to the Queen of France, and the fact that it was described as branlant ("shaking" or "trembling") causes historians to believe the body was suspended in some manner. During the next 100 years the use of the coach spread throughout Hungary and into Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. France and England were slow to make use of coaches.
In 1560 there were only three coaches in Paris, and the first coaches
had been introduced into England only a few years previously. During this early period coaches belonged mainly to royalty and the aristocracy.
During the 17th century, while the coach continued to be a mark of rank or wealth, it also began to be used as a public conveyance between towns and was eventually known as a stagecoach, or stage. About 1610 a stage service began operating in Scotland between Edinburgh and Leith. About the same time hackney coaches (those available for hire) were introduced in London, and in mid-century similar coaches, known as fiacres, began service in Paris.
During the 17th century, while the coach continued to be a mark of rank or wealth, it also began to be used as a public conveyance between towns and was eventually known as a stagecoach, or stage. About 1610 a stage service began operating in Scotland between Edinburgh and Leith. About the same time hackney coaches (those available for hire) were introduced in London, and in mid-century similar coaches, known as fiacres, began service in Paris.
About
1660 another method of suspension was developed in Berlin, Germany, and
the name of the city was given to that type of carriage. The front and rear portions of the running part of the berlin were connected by two perches, or shafts, in place of the single, very heavy perch formerly employed. Leather thoroughbraces extended from front to back of the berlin, with the body resting upon them. This construction, however, did not come into extensive use for nearly a century.
Shortly after 1670, elbow springs began to be used to support coach bodies.
These were fastened underneath the four corners of the body, and
leather braces, hung from posts on the carriage framework, were attached
to the ends of these springs. About the same time coach bodies began to depart from the traditional squareness of wagon design. The bodies were carved, paneled, and generally more tastefully designed. Glass windows came into use for both private and public coaches in the late 17th century.
Refinements
Improvements during the 18th century produced more attractive and more comfortable coaches.
About mid-century the four upright posts to which the leather braces
had been attached were replaced by whip-springs or S-springs and by the
end of the century by the popular C-springs, which were to continue in
use until the end of the 19th century. The
coach body, which had been excessively heavy, could then be made much
lighter, since the springs, replacing the posts, decreased the effect of
road shocks on both the body and the carriage part of the vehicle.
For greater maneuverability crane-necked perches were devised to allow
the front wheels to pass under the perches, thus permitting sharper
turns.
