In message <n0rdtc$gll$2@dont-email.me>, Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> writes: [] >Both horses and oxen eat grass, not usually in short supply. If you >can afford to own either you can probably afford the costs of feeding >them at the various hostelries en route. > You're probably right. I was imagining that most poor people could indeed not afford such. >> >>> as would their owners. Various religious establishments, and some >>> secular ones, had a tradition of the travellers' dole whereby genuine >>> travellers would get free food and water. The Hospice at St Cross, >> >> Were there enough of these establishments that a practically penniless >> person could actually make a long journey? > >Before the dissolution there were many religious houses dotted all >round the countryside. > Were there enough, and with that generosity-to-travellers policy, that it was in fact possible to travel just using them? [] >> I'm thinking of greater distances than that: I assume the large markets >> some places were known for would have a limited "catchment radius". > >Some droves were very long, from Scotland to Yorkshire for example. > That is interesting! Though I presume the drovers were mostly fit young men, not able to take their families with them as they drove (is that the right word!). [] -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf I am the person for whom 'one size fits all' never fits. - Chris McMillan in UMRA, 2011-11-12

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:30:27 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver (John)" <G6JPG@soft255.demon.co.uk> wrote: >In message <n0rdtc$gll$2@dont-email.me>, Graeme Wall ><rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> writes: >[] >>Both horses and oxen eat grass, not usually in short supply. If you >>can afford to own either you can probably afford the costs of feeding >>them at the various hostelries en route. >> >You're probably right. I was imagining that most poor people could >indeed not afford such. >>> >>>> as would their owners. Various religious establishments, and some >>>> secular ones, had a tradition of the travellers' dole whereby genuine >>>> travellers would get free food and water. The Hospice at St Cross, >>> >>> Were there enough of these establishments that a practically penniless >>> person could actually make a long journey? >> >>Before the dissolution there were many religious houses dotted all >>round the countryside. >> >Were there enough, and with that generosity-to-travellers policy, that >it was in fact possible to travel just using them? >[] >>> I'm thinking of greater distances than that: I assume the large markets >>> some places were known for would have a limited "catchment radius". >> >>Some droves were very long, from Scotland to Yorkshire for example. >> >That is interesting! Though I presume the drovers were mostly fit young >men, not able to take their families with them as they drove (is that >the right word!). > You wouldn't take the family if your "winter wife" was at the other end of the journey. ;-)

On 28/10/2015 21:30, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote: > In message <n0rdtc$gll$2@dont-email.me>, Graeme Wall > <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> writes: > [] >> Both horses and oxen eat grass, not usually in short supply. If you >> can afford to own either you can probably afford the costs of feeding >> them at the various hostelries en route. >> > You're probably right. I was imagining that most poor people could > indeed not afford such. >>> >>>> as would their owners. Various religious establishments, and some >>>> secular ones, had a tradition of the travellers' dole whereby genuine >>>> travellers would get free food and water. The Hospice at St Cross, >>> >>> Were there enough of these establishments that a practically penniless >>> person could actually make a long journey? >> >> Before the dissolution there were many religious houses dotted all >> round the countryside. >> > Were there enough, and with that generosity-to-travellers policy, that > it was in fact possible to travel just using them? The fact they existed at all would seem to suggest they were reasonably widespread. > [] >>> I'm thinking of greater distances than that: I assume the large markets >>> some places were known for would have a limited "catchment radius". >> >> Some droves were very long, from Scotland to Yorkshire for example. >> > That is interesting! Though I presume the drovers were mostly fit young > men, not able to take their families with them as they drove (is that > the right word!). > [] Quite probably. -- Graeme Wall This account not read, substitute trains for rail.

[] >>>>> as would their owners. Various religious establishments, and some >>>>> secular ones, had a tradition of the travellers' dole whereby genuine >>>>> travellers would get free food and water. The Hospice at St Cross, >>>> >>>> Were there enough of these establishments that a practically penniless >>>> person could actually make a long journey? >>> >>> Before the dissolution there were many religious houses dotted all >>> round the countryside. >>> >> Were there enough, and with that generosity-to-travellers policy, that >> it was in fact possible to travel just using them? > >The fact they existed at all would seem to suggest they were reasonably >widespread. [] I expect the following question probably can't be answered, as I suspect the majority of the sort of people I'm thinking of would be illiterate - or, at least, not be in a position to either keep a diary or get it published. But I'll ask anyway: are there actual accounts of people travelling long distances (say, over 200 miles), relying entirely on these establishments? Especially with a large number of children? -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf This was before we knew that a laboratory rat, if experimented upon, will develop cancer. [Quoted by] Anne (annezo@aol.com), 1997-1-29