|
The General Post, established in 1635, handled mail
between London and outlying cities. There was no service
to handle mail from one London address to another.
In 1680, William Dockwra and Robert Murray established a
private post to carry letters within London. Since the
price was one penny, this became known as the Penny
Post. The Penny Post had receivers generally different
from those of the General Post.
The General Post declared that the Penny Post was in
violation of its monopoly, and Dockwra had to shut down.
A few weeks later, the General Post set up its own
official London Penny Post in a manner similar to
Dockwra's and retained the same receiving houses. At
first, Penny Post receivers didn't mark the mail they
handled or used only a single initial. Starting in 1710,
they generally stamped letters with their full name.
A few General Post receivers adopted this practice. One
was Richard Partington, who also took the unusual step
of having his stamp made of metal, rather than wood.
That accounts for the clarity of the strike on this 1779
letter. The Bishop Mark is hard to read, but the text
inside indicates that it is June 3.
|
Back
Next