THE FIRST P.M.G.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 260, 2 November 1935, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE FIRST P.M.G.

"UNPAHRALLED SAGACIUS AND DIVINING GINIUS."

In the chancel of the old church at Hornchurch lies Thomas Witherings, who might be described as the first "Postmaster-General" of Great Britain. A memorial tablet records that, as "Chiefe Postmaster of Great Brittaine and forreigne parts," he was "second to none for unfathomed poilesicy unparralled sagacius and divining Ginius; witness his great correspondence in all parts of ye Christian World." On July 31, 1035, King Charles I. established the first State postal service for the conveyance of public letters in England and Scotland, and appointed one Thomas Witherings, Esq., to organise and manage the new system. For over a hundred years before there had been a more or less well organised system of posts by means of which State documents and correspondence had been distributed and carried, not only from point to point in Britain, but between that and other countries. The service was under a Master of the Posts—a Court official—who had under his control postmasters at the various post towns on the main roads to manage the various posts or stages. The Master of the Posts purchased his appointment, or patent, from his Sovereign and received in return a nominal annual salary of 100 marks— about £06 13/4. He was also allowed to dispose of the local postmasterships to the highest bidder, usually for about £20 a time. The postmasters, who were almost invariably innkeepers, were paid a small retaining fee of a few shillings a day and in addition about 2Jd per mile for the hire of their horses for the use of the Eoyal messengers. The postmasters augmented their income materially by hiring liorses to private travellers and by arranging, in return for a consideration, for the conveyance of private letters.

The general features of Witherings' postal service were the laying of regular posts along the five main post roads out of London—the roads to Edinburgh, Norwich, Bristol, Exeter and Holyhead, with branch or by-posts to serve towns lying beyond or off the main roads. Thus commenced the first official public postal service of the British Post Office.

Witherings' orders for the letter post prescribed, a rate of travelling of seven miles per hour, in summer and five in winter, required every postmaster to "keep a faire paper book to enter the packets in," "two leather bags lined with cotton or bayes," "homes to be sounded as oft as the post met or saw company coming or four times in every mile." Lastly, Witherings . ordered "every postmaster to write upon a labell fastened to every or any of the packets the time of rcceite thereof and not on j the packets or letter as hath been disorderly used."