Jingle (carriage) explained

A jingle (sometimes spelled gingle) was a kind of covered carriage formerly used in the city of Cork, Ireland in the 19th and early 20th centuries.^{[1] [2]} It was described as "entirely peculiar to Cork" in 1919.^{[3] [4]}

In 1837 there were 300 jingles running from Cork City to Passage West.^{[5] [6]} The "gingle stand" was located next to an equestrian statue of King George II on Grand Parade, Cork.^[7]

In 1873, one writer described them: "The jingle is a covered vis-a-vis, in which you ride with your side in the direction of your onward motion. Over this inside car is reared a flat-topped square tent of black tarpaulin, opening by movable curtains at the rear where you enter the car. The shafts are pitched high on the horse's back […] the body of the vehicle [is placed] at an angle of about 30° with the ground."^[8]

In 2018, David Toms wrote an academic paper on Cork hackney drivers; he said that "[jinglemen] were for the most part a precarious working class who were policed by the Corporation, the Hackney Carriage Committee and the by-law governing their livelihoods. As such, the bye-law and the apparatus that implemented it was a form of liberal governmentality and social control over a portion of Cork’s working class."^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: A New and Vastly Improved Edition of the Industrial Resources of Wisconsin. John. Gregory (C.E.). March 14, 1872. See-Bote. Google Books.
2. Web site: Christian Missionary Civilization: Its Necessity, Progress and Blessing. Illustrated with 78 Engravings on Wood. March 14, 1842. J. Snow. Google Books.
3. Web site: Cork; Its Trade & Commerce. D. J.. Coakley. March 14, 1919. Guy & co., ltd.. Google Books.
4. Web site: A Pictorial and descriptive guide to Killarney, the Kerry Coast, Glengariff, Cork, and the south-west of Ireland: three district maps, and plans of Killarney, Cork, et. : sixty illustrations. Ward, Lock and Company. ltd. March 14, 1928. Ward, Lock & co., limited. Google Books.
5. Book: McCarthy, Kieran. The Little Book of Cork Harbour. March 18, 2019. History Press. 9780750989602. Google Books.
6. Web site: The History of the County and City of Cork. Charles Bernard. Gibson. March 14, 1861. T.C. Newby. Google Books.
7. Web site: Historical and Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and Its Vicinity. John. Windele. March 14, 1839. Bolster. Google Books.
8. Web site: Hunt's Yachting Magazine. March 14, 1873. Hunt. Google Books.
9. The Hackney Carriage in Cork: Vehicle of a Victorian Irish City 1854–1902. David. Toms. October 23, 2018. Irish Economic and Social History. 45. 136–154. journals.sagepub.com. 10.1177/0332489318805592.