ROMANCE OF POSTMARKS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1042, 5 August 1930, Page 14

ROMANCE OF POSTMARKS

As long ago as the time of Henry VIII. it was usual for correspondents to write on the outside of their letters the date when they were dispatched. There were many complaints of delay. Sir Brian Tuke, Master of the Posts in 1333, defended himself by referring to dilatory correspondents Who dated their letters a day or two before they were actually posted. In 1590 postmasters countered with a scheme of their own. It not only checked the senders, but enabled a close record to be kept on messengers who conveyed the letters along the various stages into which long journeys had then to be divided. A letter would be marked with the time and date at all towns through which it had to pass on Its way to London. The first real stamp was not used until 1660, when by Act of Parliament a post office was leased by Henry Bishopp at an annual rent of £21,500. Bishopp was accused of various abuses. In his defence he stated that one o! the things he had invented to avoid delay was a stamp which impressed on tho letter the day and the month of delivery. The first postmark was circular in form. It contained in the upper half the first two letters of the name cf the month and in the lower a number for the day—for instance, Ma 20 representing March 20. A postmark introduced in 1756 consisted of two concentric circles, the outer containing the year and the month and the inner a single large figure for the day. In 1793 the outer circle was given a double rim for use on letters sorted in the afternoon. From 1800 to 1522 the “1” wag left out of the date.

The stamp containing the word "Free,” to be seen on eighteenthcentury letters, has an interesting history. It refers to the privilege possessed by members of Parliament and peers of “franking” or sending their letters free. Members did not hesitate to frank tho letters of their friends and even of many of their constituents, so that by 1776 the loss to the revenue amounted to nearly £120,000 a year. By 1837, shortly before tho privilege was abolished, the loss amounted to £1,000,000 a year.

The first penny post was introduced in 1678. It was a purely local poststarted by William Dockwra, in London. It had a curious triangular postmark. Along the sides of the triangle was written “Penny Post Paid.” and it is distinguished by having the two “n’s” of “Penny”'joined. Dockwra’s undertaking was merged in 1685 in the General Post Office. The later stamp was written, “Peny Post Payd.”