Sir Charles Dance began a steam carriage service between Cheltenham and Gloucester, England – running four times daily, for a number of months – using vehicles designed by Sir Goldsworthy Gurney


Monday 21st February 1831

Sir Charles Dance began a steam carriage service between Cheltenham and Gloucester, England – running four times daily, for a number of months – using vehicles designed by Sir Goldsworthy Gurney. But the aspirations of Dance and Gurney were effectively dashed, according to Francis Maceroni in his 1836 book A Few Facts Concerning Elementary Locomotion

“The many wealthy horse-coach proprietors, together with the narrow minded country gentlemen and magistrates of the district, who erroneously conceived their interests threatened by the substitution of steam power for horse, formed one of the most disgraceful and mean conspiracies against a national undertaking that can be well remembered. By means of parliamentary intrigue, and false representations, these despicable persons obtained certain local turnpike bills to pass ‘the Honourable House’ establishing tolls on steam carriages, which amounted to a virtual prohibition on their use”

A charge of £2 was levied on each steam carriage journey, whilst the toll for a horsedrawn carriage was 2 shillings. This may be contrasted with a contemporary exchequer loan to the railway developers of £100,000. Maceroni continues:

“In addition to this flagrant outrage against justice and utility, the worthy squires and magistrates of the Cheltenham district, suddenly, without any necessity, covered a long tract of the road with a layer of loose gravel, a foot deep, which, adding to the above-mentioned difficulties and impediments, put an entire stop to the undertaking.”


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