Postilion

Postilion

__NOTOC__A postilion (or postillion, occasionally Anglicized to "post-boy") rider was the driver of a horse-drawn coach or post chaise, mounted on one of the drawing horses. [ [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/postillion Definition of postillion by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.] ] By contrast, a coachman would be mounted on the vehicle along with the passengers.

Postilion riders normally rode the left (or "near") horse of a pair because horses usually were trained only to be mounted from the left. [ [http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside Which side of the road do they drive on?] Brian Lucas.] [Rogers (1900), p. 279] With a double team, either there would be two postilions, one for each pair, [Rogers (1900), pp 282-283, 107] or one postilion would ride on the left rear horse in order to control all four horses.

This style of travel was known as "posting", [Rogers (1900), p. 278] . The postilions and their horses (known as "post-horses") [Rogers (1900), p. 282] would be hired from a "postmaster" at a "post house". The carriage would travel from one post house to the next (a journey known as a "stage"), where the postilions and/or horses could be replaced if necessary. Posting was once common both in England and in continental Europe. [Rogers (1900), pp. 279-280] In England, however, it declined once railways became an alternative method of transport.Rogers (1900), p. 280] It remained popular in France and other countries.

ee also

* "Le postillon de Lonjumeau", an 1836 French comic opera by Adolphe Adam.
* "My postillion has been struck by lightning". A comical phrase supposedly found in old-fashioned foreign language phrase books.

References

Bibliography

* cite book
title=A Manual of Coaching
first=Fairman
last=Rogers
location=Philadelphia
publisher=J.B. Lippincott Company
year=1900
oclc=6478019
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PqdFAAAAMAAJ

External links

* [http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/carriage/postillion.html Postillions for Coaches. By Anne Woodley.]


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  • postilion — POSTILIÓN, postilioni, s.m. (livr.; înv.) Surugiu care conducea un poştalion. [pr.: li on] – Din fr. postillon. Trimis de oprocopiuc, 04.04.2004. Sursa: DEX 98  postilión s. m. (sil. li on), pl. postilióni …   Dicționar Român

  • Postilion — Pos*til ion, n. [F. postillon, It. postiglione, fr. posta post. See {Post} a postman.] One who rides and guides the first pair of horses of a coach or post chaise; also, one who rides one of the horses when one pair only is used. [Written also… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • postilion — (also postillion) ► NOUN ▪ the rider of the leading nearside horse of a team or pair drawing a coach, when there is no coachman. ORIGIN French postillon, from Italian postiglione post boy …   English terms dictionary

  • postilion — or postillion [pōs til′yən, pästil′yən] n. [Fr postillon < It postiglione < posta, POST3] 1. a person who rides the left hand horse of the leaders of a four horse carriage 2. one who rides the left hand horse of a two horse carriage when… …   English World dictionary

  • postilion — or postillion noun Etymology: Middle French postillon mail carrier using post horses, from Italian postiglione, from posta post more at post Date: circa 1611 one who rides as a guide on the near horse of one of the pairs attached to a coach or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • postilion — postilioned, adj. /poh stil yeuhn, po /, n. a person who rides the left horse of the leading or only pair of horses drawing a carriage. Also, esp. Brit., postillion. [1580 90; earlier postillon < MF < It postiglione, deriv. of posta POST3] * * * …   Universalium

  • postilion — noun A rider mounted on the near, leading horse pulling a carriage who guides the team …   Wiktionary

  • postilion —   …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • postilion — pos·til·i·on || pÉ™ stɪlɪən n. messenger, postal rider, one who rides on a mail carriage …   English contemporary dictionary

  • postilion — [pɒ stɪlɪən] (also postillion) noun a person who rides the leading nearside horse of a team or pair drawing a coach or carriage, when there is no coachman. Origin C16 (in the sense forerunner acting as guide to the post horse rider ): from Fr.… …   English new terms dictionary

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