The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.
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United Kingdom
London Penny Post
In the Kingdom of England, the London Penny Post was established in 1680 by William Dockwra, who established a local post that used a uniform rate of one old penny for delivery of packets up to one pound within London. There were several deliveries a day within the city, and items were also delivered to addresses up to ten miles outside London for an extra charge of one penny. In 1683, Dockwra was forced to surrender his business to the government operated General Post Office.
Local Penny Post
In 1765, Parliament authorized the creation of Penny Posts in any town or city of the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. The single postage rate of one penny was charged within the area, calculated by weight.[1] By the beginning of the 19th century there were many of these, identifiable on covers, with markings such as "PP", "Py Post", or "Penny Post" along with the name of the town.
Uniform Fourpenny Post
On 5 December 1839 the Uniform Fourpenny Post was introduced by the General Post Office but lasted only 36 days until 9 January 1840 when the Uniform Penny Post was introduced.[2]
Uniform Penny Post
On 10 January 1840, the Uniform Penny Post was established throughout the UK, and from 6 May could be prepaid with the postage stamp known as the Penny Black.
Imperial Penny Post
In 1898, the Imperial Penny Post extended the rate throughout the British Empire.
The Penny Post rate ended in Great Britain in 1918.
United States
In the United States, Spaulding's Penny Post operated in Buffalo, New York from 1847 to 1850.
Davis' Penny Post operated in Baltimore, Maryland for several weeks of February 1856, leaving behind a handful of rare stamps.
The Penny Post is the journal of the Carriers and Locals Society, and was also the original name of The Cincinnati Post.
References
- ^ "Key Dates". British Postal Museum & Archive. http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/history/keydates/#1840. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "Glossary of Stamp Collecting Terms". AskPhil.org - Collectors Club of Chicago. http://www.askphil.org/b25u.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- Staff, Frank (1993). The Penny Post 1680-1918. The Lutterworth Press. ISBN 071882878X.
External links
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