500 years of history delivered to your doorstep.
M2 PRESSWIRE-January 5, 2016-: 500 years of history delivered to your doorstep
(C)1994-2016 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:05012016
2016 commemorates 500 years since Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts, in 1516.
As you would expect from any institution that has been around for 500 years, there are a number of significant dates in our history. The knighting of Brian Tuke was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail we know today. Tuke had the influence and authority to establish key post towns across the country and build out a formal postal network.
To celebrate, Royal Mail is working in close partnership with its heritage partner, the British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA), to create an online gallery of 500 objects, people and events - www.royalmailgroup.com/500years - telling the story not only of the postal service but also of our contribution to social and political development over the last 500 years.
Moya Greene, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Mail, said: "We are proud to celebrate the heritage of this great company. The history of the postal service in the UK reflects the tremendous societal and political change that has taken us from sixteenth century Tudor England to the United Kingdom today.
"In all its guises, Royal Mail has been responsible for a number of world firsts - the Penny Black stamp and the first ever airmail flight to name just two. It has also changed almost beyond recognition, from a small group of King's Messengers in those early days to a national network connecting consumers, companies and communities across the UK today.
"Against this backdrop of continued change, Royal Mail's people have been a constant presence. They are the heart of this company. I hope that, through them, we will continue to deliver the Universal Service and play an instrumental role in people's lives for many years to come."
Origins of Royal Mail
1516: Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts. Tuke had the influence and authority to establish key post towns across the country and build a formal postal network.
Before 1635: The postal service operated only for the King and the Court
1635: The postal service was opened up to the general public by King Charles I. A Letter Office was established in London, and six post roads were formalised, including Dover to London, to carry mail across the country
1660: The Post Office Act created the publicly-owned postal service
1711: The Post Office Act paved the way for a unified postal service across Scottish and English (including Wales) administrations following the 1707 Act of Union. Ireland followed in 1808
1840: The reform - over a number of years - of the Post Office by Rowland Hill and others defined the basis of the modern postal service as we know it today and coincided with the broader social and technological changes sweeping across Victorian society at the time
1883: The launch of Parcel Post reflected a growing appetite among both residential and business customers to send and receive parcels. The growth of parcels saw the term 'Letter Carrier' replaced with 'postman', which is still in use today
Royal Mail and Social Change
1840: The introduction of the Penny Post prompted an unprecedented expansion in the popularity of mail, as it became more affordable. Mail volumes rose from 67 million in 1839 to 242 million by 1844, with a further lift to more than one billion letters by 1875
1840 onwards: The rise of mail was accompanied by a significant increase in literacy levels as the UK became more industrialised and there was a greater provision of early education
1901: The Association of Post Office Women Clerks was founded. It was the first association in the UK civil service to represent female clerical workers
1861: British entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order company. He distributed Welsh flannel catalogues across the country, allowing people to choose the items they wished and to order them via post
Royal Mail employees were some of the first in the UK to receive a company pension, before the introduction of the state pension by David Lloyd George in 1908
1959: Postcodes were introduced on a trial basis in Norwich and then rolled out nationally from 1965-1972. The system is widely recognised as one of the most granular and precise Postcode systems in the world
World Firsts
1661: The first Bishop mark (or postmark as it is known today) was used. This identified the date of dispatch to give confidence in the speed and reliability of the mail. It was named after the then Postmaster General, Henry Bishop
1840: The Penny Black, the first adhesive postal stamp, launched. As the inventor of the postage stamp, the UK is the only country in the world that does not have its country name on the stamp
1840: The release of the Penny Black also marked the origins of the Universal Service, under which postal rates became uniform across the country
1911: The first scheduled airmail service flew from Hendon to Windsor, as part of the celebrations for the Coronation of King George V. Aviator Gustav Hamel was at the helm for the maiden flight, which was a precursor to the opening up of the postal service overseas
How the Mail Was Delivered
1516: Busy towns kept a special stable, known as a post, ready to carry mail at a moment's notice. Letters...
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