🟧 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟑𝟔𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬:

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟔𝟓𝟒…𝐀𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐲-𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭.

June, 1654

[24 June, 1654.]

The Number of Hackney-Coachmen in London, etc., from June 24, 1654, were limited to 200.; Hackney-coaches to 300.; Hockney-horses to 600.; To be under control of Court of Aldermen.

The first 13 of these coachmen, were issued with licenses by the Aldermen on this day 1654.

There after, the Master Hackney-Coachmen of London were formed.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 (𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥):

Forasmuch as many inconveniences do daily arise by reason of the late increase and great irregularity of Hackney Coaches and Hackney Coachmen in London, Westminster and the places thereabouts: 

For remedy there of, be it ordained by his Highness the Lord Protector, with the consent of his Council, that from the four and twentieth day of June, one thousand six hundred fifty and four ensuing, the number of persons keeping Hackney-coaches and Hackney horses for coaches, within the City of London, Westminster and six miles about the late lines of communication, do not exceed at one time, two hundred…nor the Hackney-coaches to be used by them, three hundred…nor their Hackney Horses for Coaches do not exceed the number of six hundred. 

And for the better ordering and governing the said Hackney-Coach-Men, be it ordained that the government and ordering of them shall from time to time be in the Court of Aldermen, of the City of London, in such manner as is hereby Ordained, that:

Benjamin Francis, 

Andrew Clark, 

John Saltmarsh, 

Arthur Willis, 

Thomas Stephens, 

Anthony Hart, 

William Hockley, 

Thomas Graham, 

William Deacon, 

William Norwell, 

John Bray, 

Richard Heyborn, 

and William Clark, 

be thirteen of the first of two hundred persons who shall keep Hackney-Coaches, and Hackney-Coach-horses as aforesaid; which said thirteen persons, or the greater number of them, meeting in some convenient place for that purpose, shall nominate and present to the said Court of Aldermen two hundred persons, out of which two hundred persons, nominated and presented as aforesaid, or such other persons as the said Court of Aldermen shall think fit, the said Court shall elect and choose one hundred eighty and seven persons, to make up the thirteen Master Hackney-Coachmen aforesaid, to the number of two hundred, who shall thereupon be admitted and entred to be Master Hackney-Coachmen within the limits aforesaid; And that no other persons dwelling within the limits aforesaid, not of the number, nor entred and admitted as aforesaid, shall keep to hire out any coaches.

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬:

The London Electrical Cab – also commonly known as the ‘Hummingbird’ due to its sound, or the ‘Bersey Taxi’ after its young designer – first took to the streets of the capital on August 19 1897. Inventor Walter Charles Bersey was just 23 at the time, but had been designing and patenting electric vehicles for several years already. According to our predecessors, his creation was intended to mimic the appearance of the horse-drawn taxis of the day.

Despite Bersey’s protestations, the vehicle never really took off, with the fleet only reaching a peak of around 75 units. The cab’s two-tonne weight caused huge wear on the tyres which led to noise and vibrations escalating significantly after six months of use. Bersey’s company lost £6,200 in the first year of operation, and the business was forced to close in 1899, the vehicles disappearing from London’s streets just two years after making their debut.

𝐓𝐀𝐗𝐈 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 

The first taxi to have a meter installed in it was developed in Germany 1897 by Daimler Victoria. The meters were originally mechanical devices that would be mounted outside the cab.

The modern London Taxi Cab service as we know it today, took off with the appearance of petrol-powered cabs in 1903. In 1907 the word Taxi was introduced to the trade with the mandated fitting of a Taximeter, introduced to calculate the fare and were set at 8d (8 pence) for the first mile. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐬:

The very first Motor Cab badge...number 1...was issued to James 'Jimmy' Michael Howe a veteran of Hansom Cabs for many years, and in 1903, he became the first licensed London Hackney driver to pick up a passenger in a petrol driven vehicle (a French-built Prunel) provided by the Express Motor Company, wearing his brand new badge.

Howe's vehicle, the first Licensed Hackney Carriage to be powered by petrol, was the only one in London for several months. Two years later, the number of motorised petrol cabs had still only risen to just 19.

His wife, fed up with him working all hours and hardly ever being at home, run off in 1913 with a man who’d advertised in their local paper for a wife. She even took all the furniture with her. 

Howe never saw her again till seven years later, when she appeared in court, charged with committing bigamy. 

James(Jimmy) Howe appeared in court himself three years later where he was sued for damages by a utility company, after his Taxi crashed through the barriers and fell into a hole in Uxbridge Road, damaging their equipment.

Howe died on Christmas day 1933 at his home on Wellesley Avenue, Hammersmith, aged 64. 

Dozens of fellow cabbies drove their cabs, following the funeral procession, to pay their respects.