History On the road
Medieval roads were mostly earth tracks. In winter the mud could make them almost impossible to use. Carriers ran wagons between towns on regular days, bringing goods, letters and sometimes passengers.
A cloth cover stretched over hoops kept rain off the load. Heavy goods often went by river or by sea instead, because boats could carry far more for less money.
History Horses take over
For heavy farm work, oxen were used for centuries. During the Middle Ages, the padded horse collar spread across Europe. It let horses pull hard without choking, so more farmers and carters began to use horses, which were faster than oxen.
Art In this artwork
The illustration shows a wooden wagon with a green cloth cover, a lantern and a basket of apples, pulled by two ponies.
Look closer
- Count the wheels.
- What do you think is under the cover?
Think about it
- Why might traders send heavy goods by boat instead of by road?
- How would winter change a journey?
- How do goods reach the shops in your town today?
Key words
- Carrier
- A person who carries goods for others, for a fee.
- Horse collar
- A padded collar that lets a horse pull heavy loads.
- Wagon
- A vehicle with four wheels; a cart has two.
Sources
The history on this page is a short summary based on these sources:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Wagon" and the history of land transportation
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Horse collar"
