This talk was by Janet Niepokojczycka on 31st October 2016.
A fascinating talk on the ways packhorses were used 300 years ago, before wheeled transport, in areas where roads were poor or non-existent.
Janet shared her own experiences of journeys with packhorses which made the topic come to life, telling us historical facts going back to the 6th century. Pack animals were used in many countries around the world to carry a wide variety of goods and people.
Spice, fruit, wool, iron, copper were some of the items mentioned, along with wine, water, vinegar, fish and salmon (which was moved from Carlisle to London by both night and day). It was found that 4 hooves could travel over ground that 4 wheels cannot travel.
Lots of historical facts were shared and the use of packhorses involved many aspects of life in many countries, war being one of them. They were also used to carry mail – and this involved gossip from town to town. Smuggling (salt, alcohol and tobacco) also involved packhorses in order to avoid capture.
Janet showed us examples of saddlery and tack used and some idea of the routes, toll bars and turnpikes in a bygone era.
The talk was well received by Society members.
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