Postilion

The postilion was a man charged to carry out a horse-drawn car, just like the to notch . But whereas the coachman leads the attachment since the car, sitted on a seat, the postilion assembles the horse, or one of the horses which draw the vehicle, and which one calls the carrying .

The post chaises were generally carried out by a postilion (what explains the origin of the name): one calls attachment posts of it any attachment carried out by one or more postilions. Large the Diligence S of the XIXe century often required the simultaneous presence of a coachman and a postilion ( attachment of half-station ): in this case the coachman always had preeminence. The coachmen often considered the postilions with condescension. The postilion assembled the quartermaster (one thus calls the horses harnessed with more close to the car) of left. Its work conditions were rather hard, since it was to pass from long hours to horse, by all times, without protection against the bad weather. It put its feet in large leather boots boiled, with which it would have been impossible to him to go, but which was fixed on the sides of the horse. The postilions of the large companies of diligences carried one delivered characteristic. They used a Cor of station (or horn of postilion) in order to prevent the relays of their arrival, and also to announce itself in the dangerous passages.

The work of the postilion of relay was to accompany the travellers who rented saddle horses (the bidets ) between two relays, that is to say approximately two miles (8 km), and to then bring back the horses to the step, after a rest. It is him which regulated the pace, and it was interdict to ask him to accelerate, except paying him “double station”. It could accompany six horses, the maximum estimated to be able to bring back them to the step. N the other hand nuisances of the trade, the postilion was regarded as a gay dog, magnet drinking and to joke.

On the XIXe century, in the easy companies, the good mannerss imposed types of cars and crews very specific, requiring coachmen, postilions (or not, sporting fashion wanting that the owners lead themselves certain cars). Thus, a harnessed barouche in Aumont was drawn by four horses, two to two, each horse of left being assembled by a postilion.

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