Posted by Iain on May 23, 2006 at 17:55:48 from 194.66.208.11 user Bulldozerman.
In Reply to: Re: Fact stranger than fiction posted by Adam Quinan on May 23, 2006 at 17:06:49:
Thank you Adam for your point, and well made too.
I must pull you up on a couple of inconsistencies in your posting.
You say no horses at Beckfoot, so what is pulling the Carriage?
Jock has already answered you when he said that Nancy and Peggy were in a Horse drawn Carriage with the GA.
You say no evidence for a Groom at Beckfoot.
It is the grooms job to look after and tack up the horses for riding or carriage work. You don't just park the carriage and horses in the stables overnight like a car.
Are we to assume then, that Nancy and Peggy muck out, groom, and tack up the horses. The image of Nancy and Peggy riding side-saddle is tempting, but I cannot visualise them in riding hats, jodhpurs and hunting black jackets.
Was the Carriage and Horse(s) hired? I doubt it.
By implication if you have a Carriage you need at least one horse to pull it. Horses also have to be fed and stabled.
We know for a fact there are stables and even you admit this in your answer.
So who was driving the carriage if not a groom, or somebody acting as a Groom?
Are we to assume that either Nancy and Peggy are trained to drive a Carriage, or worse still the carriage driven by the GA who seems to be too frail for that at her age.
Cars were very rare in those days, and Horses were the normal way to get around. AR does not say in any of the books where Rattletrap was stored when not in use. The stables would be the obvious place as you say. We know that Billy Lewthwaite doubles up as Gardener and Chauffeur.
Perhaps he was groom as well.