Texting in Richard's day

Never mind the speed of carrier pigeons! Human messengers travelled fast when they had to. Humphrey Percival, private secretary to the Duke of Buckingham, posted from Brecon in South Wales to convey information to Richard at Middleham, in North Yorkshire, "benighted but one night". Modern couriers can't do much better than that.

Robert Fripp
Author, 'Dark Sovereign'

That was speedy, indeed! 

I recall something about 60+-miles per day, at need, in the time of R I. But that was travel, with a small retinue, not sending messages 

E IV and R III improved the postal relays significantly, and a messenger would repeatedly change horses enroute, so Percival's rate may well have become the norm for important messages.

Judy
 
Loyaulte me lie


________________________________
From: Robert Fripp <r_fripp@...>
To:
Sent: Friday, November 4, 2011 10:19 AM
Subject: Texting in Richard's day


 
Never mind the speed of carrier pigeons! Human messengers travelled fast when they had to. Humphrey Percival, private secretary to the Duke of Buckingham, posted from Brecon in South Wales to convey information to Richard at Middleham, in North Yorkshire, "benighted but one night". Modern couriers can't do much better than that.

Robert Fripp
Author, 'Dark Sovereign'

Looking at the Pony Express in the USA during the opening up of the West might be instructive, as the methods were likely similar: way stops to change horses and perhaps rider, and then onward. Some of the perils, although perhaps different, were also likely similar.


On Nov 4, 2011, at 11:19 AM, Robert Fripp wrote:

> Never mind the speed of carrier pigeons! Human messengers travelled fast when they had to. Humphrey Percival, private secretary to the Duke of Buckingham, posted from Brecon in South Wales to convey information to Richard at Middleham, in North Yorkshire, "benighted but one night". Modern couriers can't do much better than that.
>
> Robert Fripp
> Author, 'Dark Sovereign'
>
>

In "Lionheart," Penman discusses the use of carrier pigeons during the
seige of Acre (late 12th-century), so certainly, the English, French,
and other crusaders knew about this messaging system. But, as was
pointed out in earlier posts, the pigeons were susceptible to capture
and to being killed by raptors (native and those that the crusaders
brought with them). As a result, the English, etc. probably determined
this system to be too unreliable for them to adopt.

Note: Even though this is fiction, I have found Penman's research to be
meticulous, so I think her information regarding carrier pigeons to be
reliable.

Joan
---
author of--
This Time--General Fiction Finalist of 2010 Next Generation Indie Book
Awards
Loyalty Binds Me--recommended by Midwest Book reviews
website <http://www.joanszechtman.com/> -- blog
<http://rtoaaa.blogspot.com/>
ebooks at Smashwords
<http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JoanSzechtman>


--- In , Florence Dove
<mdove9@...> wrote:
>
> Looking at the Pony Express in the USA during the opening up of the
West might be instructive, as the methods were likely similar: way stops
to change horses and perhaps rider, and then onward. Some of the
perils, although perhaps different, were also likely similar.
>
>
> On Nov 4, 2011, at 11:19 AM, Robert Fripp wrote:
>
> > Never mind the speed of carrier pigeons! Human messengers travelled
fast when they had to. Humphrey Percival, private secretary to the Duke
of Buckingham, posted from Brecon in South Wales to convey information
to Richard at Middleham, in North Yorkshire, "benighted but one night".
Modern couriers can't do much better than that.
> >
> > Robert Fripp
> > Author, 'Dark Sovereign'
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>