Carriole driving

Category

Library Item

Item no

24790

Title

Carriole driving

Artist / maker

Ballantyne, R M

Date

1864

Size

7.0 x 10.5 cm

Type

Watercolour

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Description taken from R. M. Ballantyne's book, Norwegian adventure book, 'Chasing the Sun':
'The Norwegian cariole holds only one person, and the driver or attendant sits on a narrow board above the axle-tree.
Of course it follows that each traveller in Norway must have a cariole and a pony to himself. These are hired very cheaply, however. You can travel post there at the rate of about twopence a mile! Our friends had three carioles among them, three ponies, and three drivers or "shooscarles," (This word is spelt as it should be pronounced) besides a small native cart to carry the luggage.The Norwegian ponies are usually small and cream-coloured, with black manes and tails or white manes and tails; always, from some incomprehensible reason, with manes and tails different in colour from their bodies.
The shooscarle is usually the owner of the pony. He may be a man or a boy, but whether man or boy he almost invariably wears a red worsted nightcap. He also wears coarse homespun trousers, immensely too long in the body, and a waistcoat monstrously too short. He will hold the reins and drive if you choose, but most travellers prefer to drive themselves.
The harness of each pony consisted of nothing more than the reins, a wooden collar, and a wooden saddle. The shafts were fastened to the collar by means of an iron pin, and this pin was secured in its place by a green withe or birch-bough twisted in a peculiar manner, so as to resemble a piece of rope.'

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Related subjects

Landscape > Land > Mountains

Landscape > Water > Rivers and streams

People > Adults > Men

Places > Europe > Norway

Transport > Infrastructure > Roads

Transport > Land > Horse and carriages

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