Page 17 - BWISC 60th Anniversary Display at RPSL, November 2014
P. 17
Frame 12
MARITIME MAIL – SHIP LETTERS PRIOR TO 1842
from the collection of Graham Booth, FRPSL
Prior to the Dummer packet, and for most of the 18th century, merchantmen and an occasional ship of the
Royal Navy were the only means of communicating with the UK. Traditionally masters were paid 1d per letter
but it was not until 1717 that the Post Office was allowed to collect 1d per letter on mail landed in the UK.
Prior to that the only charge was the inland mileage rate. Ship letter handstamps to identify the port at which
the mail was landed become increasingly common in the middle of the century.
In 1799 the Ship Letter Office was opened in London and Postal Agents were appointed in many overseas
locations. The crown mark was supposed to identify letters from such sources and letters were charged a
higher rate of 4d per sheet. Elsewhere letters continued to be put on board by either forwarders or the letter
writer, without any involvement of the Post Office. The two tier scheme was abandoned in 1815 in favour
of an increased payment of 8d. Throughout the West Indies the Post Office played little or no part in the
despatch of such letters so they carry no marks, except in the bigger colonies where there was an inland
charge. Consignee mail went free and, despite the penalties, a fair amount of mail was smuggled into the UK.
Most mail was landed at Bristol, London, Liverpool, and Glasgow or on the south coast. Elsewhere mail is
relatively scarce.
An early letter which preceded the Dummer packets, written on 17 May 1701 in Barbados. It was endorsed to go in the
care of Thomas Mackay rather than a specific ship. At this date the use of Ship Letter marks had not been developed and
the Master’s gratuity of 1d could not legally be recovered by the Post Office. There was no charge for sea postage and no
indication as to where the cover was landed. The rate was 6d which suggests a double letter from a port more than
80 miles from London. The cover was backstamped by a Bishop Mark on 21 July, a transit of 64 days.
MARITIME MAIL – SHIP LETTERS PRIOR TO 1842
from the collection of Graham Booth, FRPSL
Prior to the Dummer packet, and for most of the 18th century, merchantmen and an occasional ship of the
Royal Navy were the only means of communicating with the UK. Traditionally masters were paid 1d per letter
but it was not until 1717 that the Post Office was allowed to collect 1d per letter on mail landed in the UK.
Prior to that the only charge was the inland mileage rate. Ship letter handstamps to identify the port at which
the mail was landed become increasingly common in the middle of the century.
In 1799 the Ship Letter Office was opened in London and Postal Agents were appointed in many overseas
locations. The crown mark was supposed to identify letters from such sources and letters were charged a
higher rate of 4d per sheet. Elsewhere letters continued to be put on board by either forwarders or the letter
writer, without any involvement of the Post Office. The two tier scheme was abandoned in 1815 in favour
of an increased payment of 8d. Throughout the West Indies the Post Office played little or no part in the
despatch of such letters so they carry no marks, except in the bigger colonies where there was an inland
charge. Consignee mail went free and, despite the penalties, a fair amount of mail was smuggled into the UK.
Most mail was landed at Bristol, London, Liverpool, and Glasgow or on the south coast. Elsewhere mail is
relatively scarce.
An early letter which preceded the Dummer packets, written on 17 May 1701 in Barbados. It was endorsed to go in the
care of Thomas Mackay rather than a specific ship. At this date the use of Ship Letter marks had not been developed and
the Master’s gratuity of 1d could not legally be recovered by the Post Office. There was no charge for sea postage and no
indication as to where the cover was landed. The rate was 6d which suggests a double letter from a port more than
80 miles from London. The cover was backstamped by a Bishop Mark on 21 July, a transit of 64 days.
