A gig is a light, two-wheeled open carriage with large wheels, a forward facing seat, and shafts for a single horse. The gig's body is constructed above the shafts, and it is entered from step-irons hanging from the shaft in front of the wheels. Gigs are enclosed at the back, and have luggage space under the cross-seat. Early gigs were crude and unsprung; later gigs were elegant for town driving and were constructed with springs. The term "gig" is short for "whirligig". [1] : 85–6 [2] : 132–3 [3] : 107
The Oxford English Dictionary gives the date of first known reference to a horse-drawn gig as 1791, and they were ubiquitous by the early 1800s. [4]
Gigs were typically named after their designers, builders, or their shape. [2] : 133 There are several types of gig, including: [5] [6] [7] [8] : 90–91
- Dennett gig: Early 1800s resembling the Stanhope gig but with three springs, one crosswise and two horizontal [1] : 63
- Skeleton gig: Very light; no luggage space. [1] : 148
- Spider gig: Very high gig, French version had high outward curving dash and curved shafts. [1] : 72, 82
- Stanhope: typically having a high seat and closed back; designed and built by Fitzroy Stanhope around 1814. [1] : 153
- Stick-back gig: designed with the seat back made of sticks or ribs. [1] : 155
- Suicide gig: Very high gig popular in Ireland. Dangerous to drive or mount. [1] : 86
- Tilbury or Seven-spring gig: designed by Fitzroy Stanhope, but named after builder Tilbury. Heavier than the Stanhope because it had seven springs and two braces. Popular where roads were rough. [1] : 161 [2] : 274
- Whiskey or whisky: lightweight, often constructed with canework. Named for whisking over the road. [1] : 173 [2] : 133
Gigs travelling at night would normally carry two oil lamps with thick glass, known as gig-lamps. This led to the formerly common slang word "giglamps" for "spectacles". [9]
Nineteenth century literature frequently recounted "romantic tales of spills and hairbreadth [e]scapes" from these vehicles, but is equally fulsome on the fearful thrill experienced in driving them. [10]
