Gig (carriage): Difference between revisions
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* ''[[whiskey (carriage)|whiskey]]'' or ''whisky'': small body that resembles a chair, suspended on leather braces attached to springs |
* ''[[whiskey (carriage)|whiskey]]'' or ''whisky'': small body that resembles a chair, suspended on leather braces attached to springs |
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Gigs travelling at night would normally carry two oil lamps with thick glass, known as gig-lamps. |
Gigs travelling at night would normally carry two oil lamps with thick glass, known as gig-lamps. |
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The origin of the term 'gig' is derived from the Old English for a 'flighty girl' and subsequently indicates anything dangerous or unpredictable. Contemporary literature frequently recounted romantic tales of spills and hairbreadth scrapes from these vehicles, but is equally fulsome on the fearful thrill experienced in driving them.<ref>Bradney, J. (2005). The carriage-drive in Humphry Repton's landscapes. Garden History, 31-46.</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 12:09, 8 September 2016
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A gig, also called chair or chaise, is a light, two-wheeled sprung cart pulled by one horse.
Description
Gig carts are constructed with the driver's seat sitting higher than the level of the shafts.[1] Traditionally, a gig is more formal than a village cart or a meadowbrook cart. A light gig can be used for carriage racing. OED gives the date of first known reference to a horse-drawn gig as 1791. There are several types of gig, including:
- calesín: small, one-horse, hooded, a seat behind for the driver, used in the Philippines; diminutive of Spanish calesa
- stanhope: typically having a high seat and closed back; named after Fitzroy Stanhope, a British clergyman who died in 1864.
- stick gig: lightweight, two-wheeled, for one person
- Tilbury (carriage), lightweight, two-wheeled,
- whiskey or whisky: small body that resembles a chair, suspended on leather braces attached to springs
Gigs travelling at night would normally carry two oil lamps with thick glass, known as gig-lamps.
The origin of the term 'gig' is derived from the Old English for a 'flighty girl' and subsequently indicates anything dangerous or unpredictable. Contemporary literature frequently recounted romantic tales of spills and hairbreadth scrapes from these vehicles, but is equally fulsome on the fearful thrill experienced in driving them.[2]
References
- ^ Felton, W. (1796). A Treatise on Carriages: Comprehending Coaches, Chariots, Phaetons, Curricles, Gigs, Whiskies... Together with Their Proper Harness. In which the Fair Prices of Every Article are Accurately Stated (Vol. 2). Debrett.
- ^ Bradney, J. (2005). The carriage-drive in Humphry Repton's landscapes. Garden History, 31-46.
External links
- Gigs, Cabriolets and Curricles. Jane Austen Centre Bath UK England.
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