There are only a few instances of people covering more than 70 miles in a day before 1330. One is the news of Edward I's death at about 3pm on 7 July 1307 at Burgh by Sands near the Scottish border, which reached his heir in London on 11 July. This entailed a journey of more than 300 miles at around 75 miles per day.
The maximum speed of news increased in the 14th century. When Edward III sent a messenger on business to Avignon in 1343, his man took 7.5 days to cover the 730-mile route, including the sea crossing: an average of 97 miles per day.
The establishment of news relays by Edward IV and Henry VII hugely increased the speeds at which information could travel. News of the capitulation of Berwick in 1482 (during an English invasion of Scotland) was brought south by a relay of 10 riders at the speed of 170 miles per day.
In the 16th century, the establishment of the postal routes facilitated even faster speeds. So too did the breeding of fast horses and legislation ensuring the better maintenance of the highways. By the 1570s, the post from Berwick was expected to travel to London in 42 hours in summer and 60 hours in winter, implying minimum speeds of 194 and 136 miles per day respectively. By the end of the century, ordinary citizens could pay 2d per mile to ride with the post, often travelling at 10mph - twice as fast as before 1330.
- Ian Mortimer, 'The age of transformation', BBC History, February 2023, p.26
The maximum speed of news increased in the 14th century. When Edward III sent a messenger on business to Avignon in 1343, his man took 7.5 days to cover the 730-mile route, including the sea crossing: an average of 97 miles per day.
The establishment of news relays by Edward IV and Henry VII hugely increased the speeds at which information could travel. News of the capitulation of Berwick in 1482 (during an English invasion of Scotland) was brought south by a relay of 10 riders at the speed of 170 miles per day.
In the 16th century, the establishment of the postal routes facilitated even faster speeds. So too did the breeding of fast horses and legislation ensuring the better maintenance of the highways. By the 1570s, the post from Berwick was expected to travel to London in 42 hours in summer and 60 hours in winter, implying minimum speeds of 194 and 136 miles per day respectively. By the end of the century, ordinary citizens could pay 2d per mile to ride with the post, often travelling at 10mph - twice as fast as before 1330.
- Ian Mortimer, 'The age of transformation', BBC History, February 2023, p.26
See also:
Blog: The beneficent miracle of the postal service, 27 August 2019
Blog: London mail coach departure points, 24 September 2015
Blog: The great ebbing surging traffic of London, 12 August 2015
Blog: Coach travel from London in 1658 and 1739, 4 October 2013
Blog: Posting the empire as the royal word, 9 January 2013
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