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A Collection of 64 Parliamentary Documents Relating to the Post Office and Postal Services in Great Britain and its Colonies: 13 Parliamentary Bills, 50 Parliamentary Acts, and 1 Parliamentary Paper from the reigns of Charles II, Anne I, George I, George III, George IV, William IV, and Victoria. London: 1660-1891. Folio, quarto, and octavo. First editions. Woodcut and engraved Royal coats of arms, headpieces and ornamental initial letters. Printed in Old English Black Letter font up to 1793 and in Roman Letter font thereafter, on laid or wove watermarked paper. Neatly extracted from bound volumes. In very good to fine condition. The origins of the Royal Mail can be traced back to 1516 when King Henry VIII appointed a Master of the Posts. The General Post Office was officially established by King Charles II in 1660 after the restoration of the monarchy. The Post Office Act, 1660 (see Item 1 of the collection) established the postal system and rates of postage, and required that ship letters be passed on to the General Post Office for delivery. The Post Office Act, 1711 (see Item 2) united the post offices of England and Scotland, and established a General Post Office in Ireland, the colonies of North America and the West Indies. Fixed rates were introduced for delivery within England, Scotland, and Ireland, and postage rates were established for mails between London and the American colonies. At the time, postal fees were paid by the recipient. The Postal Rates Act, 1765 (see Item 5) provided for changes in rates for home and foreign mails. As well, with the expansion of British possessions in North America after the Seven Years War, a more comprehensive scheme of postal rates was necessary for the American colonial mails. Henceforth, all mail routes were measured and new rates were determined according to the distance travelled and the number of sheets of paper in each mailing rather than by a fixed flat fee. In addition, mail transported by ship was given priority status: cargo on vessels entering any British port would remain on board until all mail matter was removed and delivered to the local Postmaster. Postal service to and from the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution was disrupted and then finally suspended. It was not until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783 that postal services to the region resumed. Between 1784 and 1812 postage rates increased steadily, culminating in some of the highest rates England had ever seen. Among the first actions Queen Victoria took when she ascended to the throne in 1837 was to appoint a Select Committee on Postage to examine the postal system, resulting in a plethora of new legislation (see Items 29 to 42). The Duties on Postage Act, 1839 (see Item 47) further adjusted the postal system in several important ways, including the introduction of Sir Rowland Hill's scheme for a Uniform Penny Post. The 1839 Act also authorized Hill's suggested use of pre-paid adhesive postage stamps for letter mail. Postal reforms continued with the Duties of Postage Act, 1840 (see Item 49) wherein postage charges were calculated according to weight. In the years that followed, the British Post Office was characterized by successive reductions in rates, reliance upon private enterprise for sea carriage of mail, increased use of railways for mail conveyance, and the establishment of parcel post, banking, and electric telegraph services. An outstanding collection. A full listing of the collection is available.
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