Who was the first member of the British Royal Family to ride in a Train?

[What About The Bee]

Who was the first member of the British Royal Family to ride in a Train?

If you ask the internet, it will say "Queen Adelaide, in 1840". We already know that the date is wrong. Queen Adelaide traveled by train on 15 Sept 1839. But is Her Highness the Dowager Queen the first member of the British Royal Family to travel by train?

No, no she was not! So says Bee!

The Saint James Chronicle, dated 18 September 1838 documents opening day on the London and Birmingham Railway, 17 Sept 1838. A special train left Euston Station with Mr. [Robert] Stephenson, among the railway officials and "His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex, suite and two carriages". 'Suite' in this context means his court, while 'carriages' refers to horse drawn carriages.

The train consisted of "16 first class carriages and mails, and four gentlemen's carriages."  "Gentlemen's carriages", in this context, are the horse drawn carriages, only now they are on flatbed wagons.

Who was His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex?

Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, was the sixth son and ninth child of King George III and his queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Wikipedia states that Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several royal dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is a hereditary title of a specific rank of nobility in the British Royal Family. 

So the first member of the British Royal Family to ride by train was Prince Augustus Frederick, on 17 Sept 1838.¹ 

This is confirmed by The Morning Chronicle, of 19 September 1838

Sept 17. The directors of the London and Birmingham Railway ... had the honor of conveying His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex ... His Royal Highness alighted at Rugby Station...

London and Birmingham Railway Carriages, illustrated.

This partially fanciful drawing was published by The Mirror of 22 July 1837. On the top row, the locomotive is a Rocket-class, complete with sloping cylinders. Antiquated by 1837. The tender is referred to as a "supply carriage". Next are two "first class carriages". Last is a "Gentlemen's private barouche". A barouche is a horse drawn four wheeled carriage. The opening day train had Gentlemen's carriages, but likely the Duke's was more opulent. In the middle row, the "Royal Mail, next are excursion carriages and carriages for passengers, generally". The article states that the carriages have been built by "Mr. Wright, contractor for the Royal Mails"

Finally, a sheep wagon with no doors.

Bee

¹As far as I know.  

[What About The Bee]

In the previous post, I suggested that the carriage of the Duke of Sussex might just be more opulent than the Gentlemen's Carriage in the London and Birmingham Railway illustration.

Well, it was

Carriage of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, uncle to Queen Victoria, in Queen Victoria's coronation parade. With escort of Life Guards, grooms in livery, carriage drawn by six bay horses. Handcoloured aquatint engraving from Fores' Correct Representation of the State Procession on the Occasion of the August Ceremony of Her Majesty's Coronation, June 28th 1838, published by Fores, Sporting and Fine Print Repository, Piccadilly, London, 1838.

I will suggest that a carriage used on 28 June 1838 would likely be the one used in September of 1838. It is of course possible that the Duke had multiple carriages and only used this one for state occasions.

Nevertheless, it is suggestive of what was to hand on Opening Day of the LBR.

Bee

[What About The Bee]

"As far as I know"

Prophetic words. I undertook a broader survey, cast a wider net. I limited the terminal date of my search to the ride of the Duke of Sussex on the LBR.

In doing such a broad search, many non-related items are returned because it just so happens to fit the criteria. For example, I observed notice of the first pigs to travel by railway, 21 May 1831, on the LMR. Another example is the running trials of the Braithwaite and Ericsson locomotive on the LMR and why it was rejected, insufficient steam. There were many reports of accidents in which the person fell on the tracks, with obvious results. Quite the rainbow of returns.

And then, there it was. Move over, Duke of Sussex, your preeminence has been superceded. The Duke of Cambridge has taken your place.

George, Queen Victoria's cousin, rode on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway on 1 October 1835. He was 16 at the time. The article reveals he rode both ways, but alas, not what type of carriage utilized. We may infer either a 6 inside glass or 4 inside royal mail, as Walker makes the 2pm train from Liverpool a 1st class train, showing only fares for those types carriages. 

I have yet to encounter any special carriage constructed for the British Royal Family by the LMR. There is the notable carriage used by the Duke of Wellington on the occasion of the LMR's opening day. I also did encounter an 1833 journey by the Duke of Orleans, arriving at Liverpool by railway. Yet this Duke, like Wellington, was not a member of the British Royal Family.

Should you wish to know more about the Duke of Cambridge:

https://www.rct.uk/collection/405100/george-duke-of-cambridge-1819-1904-0

Bee

[What About The Bee]

In an effort to be sure that the Duke of Cambridge was the first member of the British Royal Family to ride on any train, I took the search as far back as 1 January 1820.

From a practical standpoint, this includes all but some very early railways and experiments. Those early railways were focused upon collieries, like Brunton's Horse to go by Steam, unlikely to have any passenger traffic.

The search included all of the early Stockton and Darlington Railway period, where the potential for a royal ride existed.

The British press acted like paparazzi to the Royal Family, reporting on their most mundane movements, lunches & etc. The press continues the behavior to this very day. This provides us with a degree of certainty, as if a member was to ride, it would be reported upon, especially so as the novelty would make it even more newsworthy.

The Duke of Cambridge remains unchallenged in being "first". It does give me quiet satisfaction that the "first" railway to provide that ride was the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, taking the honors away from the London and Birmingham Railway. Touché!

Of course, now I will have to acquire R40436 and place bunting on it, to distinguish it as the royal railway carriage of 1835. I do already have a Royal Mail carriage in R3956, while the LMR had ~4 of these Royal Mail carriages.

Bee