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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
137
One
or
two
instances
of
the
cross-post
service
of
former
times,
in
England
itself,
which
might
be
supposed
to
be
more
fortunate
than
its
Scottish
neighbour,
will
repay
consideration.
Thus
we
find
it
duly
recorded
in
official
reports,
that
in
1792
there
was
no
direct
post
between
Thrapston
and
Wellingborough,
though
the
distance
separating
them
was
only
nine
miles.
Letters
could
circulate
between
these
towns
by
way
of
Stilton,
Newark,
Nottingham,
and
Northampton,
performing
a
circuit
of
148
miles,
or
they
could
be
sent
by
way
of
London,
74
miles
up
and
68-1/2
down,
in
which
latter
case
they
reached
their
destination
one
day
sooner
than
by
the
former
round-about
route.
Again,
from
Ipswich
to
Bury
St
Edmunds,
two
important
towns
of
11,277[3]
and
7655[4]
inhabitants
respectively,
and
distant
from
one
another
only
22
miles,
there
was
no
direct
post.
Letters
had
to
be
forwarded
either
through
Norwich
and
Newmarket,
or
by
way
of
London,
the
distance
to
be
covered
in
the
one
case
being
105
miles,
and
in
the
other
143-1/2
miles.
We
have
not
the
means
of
computing
the
time
letters
took
to
travel
from
Ipswich
to
Bury
St
Edmunds
in
1792,
but
an
Itinerary
for
1812
affords
the
necessary
information
as
regards
the
later
period.
Suppose
a
letter
were
posted
at
Ipswich
for
Bury
St
Edmunds
on
Monday,
it
would
be
despatched
to
Norwich
at
5.30
A.M.
on
Tuesday,
reaching
Norwich
some
six
hours
thereafter.
It
would
leave
Norwich
at
4.0
P.M.
same
day
(Tuesday),
and
arrive
at
Newmarket
at
about
11.0
P.M.,
where
it
would
lie
all
night
and
the
greater
part
of
next
day,
and
would
only
arrive
at
Bury
St
Edmunds
at
5.40
P.M.
on
Wednesday.
If
the
letter
were
sent
by
the
Metropolitan
route,
its
time
would
be
the
same,
thus:--Leaving
Ipswich
at
9.30
P.M.
on
Monday,
it
would
reach
London
at
8.0
A.M.
on
Tuesday.
Thence
it
would
not
get
despatched
till
7.30
P.M.;
and
proceeding
to
Newmarket,
would
arrive
there
at
4.0
A.M.
on
Wednesday.
Here
it
would
remain
till
the
afternoon,
and
would
reach
Bury
St
Edmunds,
as
in
the
former
case,
at
5.40
P.M.
(on
Wednesday).
So
that,
in
practice,
to
cover
this
short
interval
of
22
miles
by
post,
three
whole
days
were
necessary.
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