ABSTRACT
The business is immediately placed in the most important segment of the carrying trade, the long-distance trade between London and a major provincial centre. The growth of towns, trade and industry depended on adequate transport. Imported produce and industrial raw materials had to be distributed inland, the output of the wool and woollen cloth industries conveyed to London and other ports, towns and cities supplied with their various needs. The title 'common carrier' denoted a particular status in law. Carriers were included among the so-called common trades, in which the condition of accepting the custom of all-comers was obligatory. The greater the distance, the more wagons were required to maintain a given level of service. Over distances of 100 miles or more, several wagons were required to provide, say, a weekly service. The carrying system rested on two great strengths, its regularity and the fact that it could reach into most parts of the country.
