| Car hire has a long and quite diverse history. | | | | seeking out novelty and adventure. One day, he |
| Even before the invention of motor vehicles, | | | | happened upon a hermit who lived by a stream |
| people were able to hire a horse and carriage for | | | | and guided people safely across it. |
| a length of time, at an agreed price with the | | | | In exchange for instruction in the truth of God, |
| owner, for transport, holidays or business. | | | | Christopher took the hermit's place and carried |
| This became such big business that Saint Eligius | | | | people safely across the stream. Legend has it |
| was given the patronage over everything to do | | | | that St Christopher once carried a small child |
| with horses and carriages from horses, horseshoe | | | | across the stream who turned out to be Christ |
| makers and saddle makers to carriage makers, | | | | himself. He was then baptised by this child with |
| cartwrights and wheelwrights. | | | | water from the stream. |
| St Eligius was an extremely skillfull metalsmith in | | | | Thanks to this service that St Christopher carried |
| his day. Hence, his patronage to smiths. This led | | | | out, he later bacame patron saint of things related |
| to his patronage of all things horsey and was | | | | to travel and travellers. His official patronage |
| compounded by the fact that he left a horse to a | | | | covers a multitude of things including automobile |
| priest at his own predicted death. | | | | drivers, motorists and travellers. |
| Around the same time as St Eligius was making a | | | | There was an natural explosion of the car hire |
| name for himself in Belgium, St Fiacre was doing | | | | business with the invention of the automobile and |
| the same across the border in France. Seeking | | | | many vehicles were built for hire including coaches, |
| solitude but never gaining it because of his skill | | | | buses and taxi cabs. Huge lorries were also made |
| with healing herbs, St Fiacre fled to France from | | | | available for sale or hire for the distribution of |
| his native Ireland. | | | | goods. |
| Many years after the death of St Fiacre, The | | | | St Christopher is also the patron saint of bus |
| Hotel de Saint Fiacre was established in Paris. The | | | | drivers, cab drivers and lorry drivers which is why |
| hotel was a well known place for hiring out | | | | many of them carry an effigy of him for |
| carriages, an early form of car hire. However, not | | | | safeguarding them on their travels. |
| many people were aware who Fiacre was by this | | | | Of course, car hire has come a long way from |
| time and referred to the hired carriages as Fiacre | | | | horses and carriages but is more important now |
| cabs. | | | | than ever. The whole world relies on |
| This later led to St Fiacre becoming the patron | | | | transportation to keep them supplied in food and |
| saint of cab and taxi drivers. He is also the patron | | | | goods of all kinds and to keep the world's |
| saint of hemorrhoids - possibly due to too much | | | | economy running. |
| sitting around by cab drivers? | | | | That all filters down to Mr and Mrs Average using |
| Retreating in history even further than St Eligius | | | | car hire as their preferred method of transport |
| and St Fiacre, lived St Christopher. St Christopher | | | | when it comes to their two week holiday in |
| was a pious man who wandered the world | | | | Cornwall. |