Stanley Harris
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| Stanley Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 November 1816 Clapham, South London |
| 💀Died | 22 October 1897 Amersham22 October 1897 |
| 🏫 Education | Bromsgrove School |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Books on Mail and Stage Coaches |
Stanley Harris was an English Solicitor, an attorney at law, who also wrote articles and books on horse drawn Coaches. His books Old Coaching Days and The Coaching Age,[1] are available on Google books as they have both been selected by scholars as being culturally important and part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
The books record the day to day running of stage coaches. He relates that as a boy he would take the Box Seat next to the driver when it became available - and take the reins if offered. From that time he recorded his experiences whilst riding on coaches. He collected stories and timetables relating to the operation of coaches. He noted the locations and operations of coaching inns - and their subsequent use after the last coaches ran. His books are widely quoted by other authors wishing to call on his knowledge of coaching and the state of repair of roads. A few examples of Harris being quoted include:- Sidney and Beatrice Webb's book on English Local Government, The King's Highway,[2] it refers to Harris in six places. In the book Stage Coach to John O’Groats,[3] the account of a stagecoach over turning on Finchley Common is credited to him. Harris is referenced in the book On the Track of the Mail-Coach,[4] by a former Inspector-General of Mails at the Post Office. He refers to Harris as a well known writer on the Road.
Examples of knowledge that would otherwise have been lost are:- The London to Holyhead mailcoach was allowed 26 hours 55 minutes to cover the 259 miles. The London to Edinburgh was allowed 42 hours 23 mins. The London to Edinburgh fare was ten pounds. The typical number of passengers per coach was 4 inside and 11 outside.
The books record the meals and services available at coaching inns. They record the operation of Turnpike (toll) Roads. They record the arrival of the railways and the fate of coach operators not quick enough to adapt. The largest operator, Chaplin, ran a stable of 1200 horses but managed to become a Director of The London and South Western Railway.
His books recall the romance of pre railway Stagecoach travel for those too young to have experienced it. This style of travel was recreated for real by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, hero of the RMS Lusitania, who from 1907 to 1914 restarted a London to Brighton coach and often took the driving seat himself.
Origins[edit]
In his first book, Old Coaching Days, he tells of attending Bromsgrove School and when terms were over he would return to Bristol. His origins and connections to London are revealed in the book Forty Years at the Post Office,[5] written by a senior postal official, who came from the town of Chipping Barnet. The author stated that Harris was a fellow townsman of his and indeed Harris appears in the Census of 1871 in Wood Street, Chipping Barnet, with the occupation of Solicitor and birthplace of Clapham. Stanley Harris of Barnet was confirmed as the author of the books by The Liverpool Evening Express when it announced his passing.[6]
As well as his work as a Solicitor, Harris was from 1863 to 1882 the Town Clerk of Chipping Barnet.[7] The work of a Town Clerk is to ensure the Town Council operates legally and also to be in charge of the council administration and staff. In this role Harris had to decide his own salary and chose to take one Guinea per month (1.05 pounds) or 12.60 pounds a year. Current salary rates for Town Clerks are in six figures. In contrast to Town Clerk, the role of Mayor was more ceremonial and to chair meetings.
Family Life[edit]
Stanley Harris was born 29th November 1816 in Clapham and baptized, along with several siblings, on 3rd July 1817 at St. Mary's Battersea. His father was listed as Samuel Harris, Merchant. In the 1891 census, Harris is recorded living with his daughter Harriet and son in law Charles Drewe Harris, Wine Merchant, birthplace Bristol, at 123 West End Lane, Hampstead. When Harriet married on 17th November 1880 at Chipping Barnet Parish Church, the father of the Groom was listed as Charles Harris, Solicitor. So it seems the Bride and Groom may have been cousins, distant or otherwise, and could explain why the young Stanley Harris was based in Bristol during his school days.
References[edit]
- ↑ Old Coaching Days, 1882 and The Coaching Age, 1885 by S. Harris
- ↑ The King's Highway, 1913, by S. and B. Webb
- ↑ Stage Coach to John O’Groats, 1961, by L. Gardiner
- ↑ On the Track of the Mail-Coach, 1895, by F.E. Baines
- ↑ Forty Years at the Post Office, 1895, by F.E. Baines
- ↑ Liverpool Evening Express 28th October 1897
- ↑ Watford Observer 8th May 2002
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