THE FIRST MAILS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21462, 8 April 1933, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE FIRST MAILS

THE ORIGINAL " POST " MEN The Post Office owes its inception to the organisation in 1482 of relays of mounted posts for the purpose of carrying the King's- despatches from London to Scotland. A single horseman was appointed for every 20 miles of the journey, and it took two days to cover the distance of 200 miles, which, considering what the state of the roads must have been in the 15th century, was not bad going, horsemen were the original " post" men. They requisitioned horses by royal right of purveyance and paid for them practically what they liked. About 20 years later it was felt that somebody ought to be saddled with the responsibility o| looking after these " post " men and an officer of the court was accordingly appointed " Master of the Posts." Thus came into existence the fii'ifc postmaster. This official had his own troubles, it appears, as, owing to the neglect of the townships to provide horses for the posts His Majesty's communications began to suffer delay. It was, therefore, decreed in 1533 that the townships should, upon pain of life, " make such provision of horses for the posts at all times as no tract or loss of time be had in that behalf."

It appears, however, that it was no easy matter to arrange these relays of horses, and special steps had to be taken to meet the difficulty. For example, in Leicester, the corporation found it necessary to bind some of its members " to keep able and sufficient horses always ready." In London in 1539 special arrangements were made that all horses required of the city for the King's service should be provided by one of the hackney-men, who should receive contributions in money from his fellow hackney-men and from the innkeepers.

At Exeter good horses were apparently itt a premium. State papers record a complaint that, in 1595, the Mayor could only provide, and that after some hours' delay, " horses such as carry wood up and down the town, and very unfit if haste were required." It was not until 1591 that the King's Posts were made available for the carrying of private letters. The fees received for conveying such letters were retained by the posts to augment their wages, which were meagre, and frequently in arrear.

In the same year Queen Elizabeth ordered that no letters should bo sent to or from foreign countries except by the posts. In this way the Crown further benefited the posts, and provided them with a better livelihood t'ban their fixed wages of 20 pence a day could afford. From an address by the Chesterfield Postmaster (Rotarian W. H. Gardiner) to the Chesterfield Rotarians.