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Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
45
Complaint
is
made
for
the
first
time
this
year,
that
letters
have
been
opened
in
the
General
Post-Office.
Members
of
Parliament
were
amongst
the
complainants.
The
attention
of
the
Privy
Council
having
been
called
to
the
subject,
the
King
issued
a
proclamation
"for
quieting
the
Postmaster-General
in
the
execution
of
his
office."
It
ordained
that
"no
postmaster
or
other
person,
except
under
the
immediate
warrant
of
our
principal
Secretary
of
State,
shall
presume
to
open
letters
or
packets
not
directed
unto
themselves."
Two
years
before
the
death
of
Charles
II.
a
penny
post,
the
only
remaining
post-office
incident
of
any
importance
during
his
reign,
was
set
up
in
London
for
the
conveyance
of
letters
and
parcels.
This
post
was
originated
by
Robert
Murray,
an
upholsterer,
who,
like
many
other
people
living
at
the
time,
was
dissatisfied
that
the
Post-Office
had
made
no
provision
for
correspondence
between
different
parts
of
London.
By
the
then
existing
arrangements,
communication
was
much
more
easy
between
town
and
country
than
within
the
limits
of
the
metropolis.
Murray's
post,
got
up
at
a
great
cost,
was
assigned
over
to
Mr.
William
Docwray,
a
name
which
figures
for
many
succeeding
years
in
post-office
annals.
The
regulations
of
the
new
penny
post
were,
that
all
letters
and
parcels
not
exceeding
a
pound
weight,
or
any
sum
of
money
not
above
10l.
in
value,
or
parcel
not
worth
more
than
10l.,
might
be
conveyed
at
a
charge
of
one
penny
in
the
city
and
suburbs,
and
for
twopence
to
any
distance
within
a
given
ten-mile
circuit.
Six
large
offices
were
opened
at
convenient
places
in
London,
and
receiving-houses
were
established
in
all
the
principal
streets.
Stowe
says,
that
in
the
windows
of
the
latter
offices,
or
hanging
at
the
doors,
were
large
placards
on
which
were
printed,
in
great
letters,
"Penny
post
letters
taken
in
here."
"Letter-carriers,"
adds
the
old
chronicler,
"gather
them
each
hour
and
take
them
to
the
grand
office
in
their
respective
circuits.
After
the
said
letters
and
parcels
are
duly
entered
in
the
books,
they
are
delivered
at
stated
periods
by
other
carriers."
The
deliveries
in
the
busy
and
crowded
streets
near
the
Exchange
were
as
frequent
as
six
or
eight
times
a
day;
even
in
the
outskirts,
as
many
as
four
daily
deliveries
were
made.
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