The Exeter Flying Post of Thursday 19th September, 1844 reported to its readers the following life-affirming story:
"On Friday last, as Messrs. Darke, butchers of this city, were driving to their slaughter-house a lot of fine, fat sheep which had been purchased in the market that day, when near the Island Bridge, from the passing of some Omnibusses, &c., the animals were frightened, and one of them sprung on the parapet wall, jumping at once off into the Exe Island below.
"Singularly though, the animal escaped the least injury, which from the height might have been expected. Several of the others jumped on the parapet also, but turned back again."
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I blog this not so much for the sake of the daredevil leaping sheep as for the sake of the omnibuses. The quaint plural form and the capitalization reflect the extent to which 'Omnibusses' were still a novelty in 1844. The very first omnibuses apparently were to be found in the city of Nantes as late as 1826. Hence the concept and the Latin part of the name, voiture omnibus, are importations from the French.
The meeting of sheep and horse-drawn omnibuses on the Island Bridge is a neat instance of the old world meeting the new in Exeter. It would seem that there were still troops of domestic animals being driven about the streets. Darke's slaughter-house, I think, was in Smythen Street. Generally the omnibuses, as newcomers, were taking the blame for congestion and dangerous driving but they were to prevail.
Sprung as the past tense of spring, like rung as the past tense of ring, was deemed correct by The Flying News. It sounds very Jane Austen!
I'm very pleased the bold sheep was not damaged by her momentous leap from the bridge, - just a pity she was on her way to Messrs. Darke's slaughter-house!
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