Jolted, Stewed, and Jumbled: Motion, Discomfort, and the Body in English Coach Travel, c. 1660–1820

This article explores the embodied experience of coach travel in England, c. 1660–1820, focusing on motion, discomfort, and sensory engagement. Using letters, diaries, and medical texts, it shows how factors including cramped interiors, violent movement, and oppressive atmospheres produced both physical and psychological unease. Motion sickness was widely discussed but poorly understood, reflecting broader uncertainty about the body in motion. By tracing the material and kinaesthetic entanglements of passengers and vehicles, the article extends work on embodiment and mobility, arguing that coach travel was not mere conveyance but a profoundly embodied encounter that unsettled and reshaped the travelling body.