



Produced by Donald Cummings, Adrian Mastronardi, Graeme
Mackreth The Philatelic Digital Library Project at
http://www.tpdlp.net and the Online Distributed Proofreading
Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from
images generously made available by The Internet
Archive/American Libraries.)










 THE
 POST IN GRANT AND FARM


[_All Rights Reserved_]




 THE

 EARLY HISTORY OF THE POST

 IN GRANT AND FARM

 BY
 J. WILSON HYDE
 CONTROLLER IN THE GENERAL POST-OFFICE, EDINBURGH

 AUTHOR OF
 "THE ROYAL MAIL: ITS CURIOSITIES AND ROMANCE"
 AND "A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST"

 LONDON
 ADAM & CHARLES BLACK
 1894




PREFACE


There has not hitherto been published any detailed account of the
first establishment, in this country, of the Post Office as a public
institution; nor does it appear that anything has been made known of
the men who were instrumental in building up this useful fabric, in the
years of its infancy, beyond the barren mention of their names. In some
cases, moreover, in such bald notices as have been given of the early
posts, important names are wholly omitted, and in others the names of
men are associated with events in which they had little concern. What
is disclosed in the following pages is an attempt not only to give
a fairly full and true account of the first forty years' existence
of the Inland Posts in Britain, but to tell something of the men to
whom the credit is due of contriving and bringing into working shape
this great machine of public convenience and utility. The facts here
narrated are collected from the Public Records, original documents,
and other authentic sources. In the extracts which have been made from
original papers, modern orthography, as being more convenient for the
reader, has been generally employed; but in a few cases the tone and
flavour of the antique have been retained in the original spelling.

I have to acknowledge with gratitude the very kindly assistance given
me by librarians, not only in Edinburgh but elsewhere, and by other
gentlemen in public positions, who have assisted me in clearing up
points of difficulty.

  Edinburgh, 1894.




CONTENTS


 CHAPTER I

                                                                      PAGE

 The King's Post--John Stanhope's patent, 1590                           1

 Wages of Chief Postmaster--Confusion of terms
 "post," "packet," etc.                                                  2

 Charles I. in need of money--Offices bought and sold--Scope
 of Lord Stanhope's patent                                               4

 New office created of Postmaster for Foreign Posts,
 out of the king's dominions                                             5

 De Quester and his son appointed Foreign Postmasters                    6

 Contest between Stanhope and the De Questers--Who
 the De Questers were                                                    7

 William Frizell and Thomas Witherings succeed the
 De Questers                                                             8

 Letters for the public carried by the Foreign Postmasters--Delays
 of the posts                                                           11

 Philip Burlamachi, subsequently Acting Postmaster--Who
 he was                                                                 13

 Orders for the Foreign Posts drawn up by Secretary
 Coke                                                                   14

 Witherings visits the Continent                                        15

 Posts by estafette, or fixed stages, established--Dover
 packet                                                                 16

 Quarrels between Witherings and others--Witherings
 suspended from office                                                  17

 Witherings and Frizell contend for possession of the
 office                                                                 19

 Sir John Coke, Witherings' patron                                      21

 Conflicting opinions of Witherings                                     22

 Merchants petition in favour of Witherings                             23

 Attempts to set up rival posts                                         24


 CHAPTER II

 Witherings recovers his office                                         27

 Settlement of accounts during period of sequestration                  28

 Post stages in France                                                  29

 Robberies of Channel packets                                           30

 Measures taken to resist attacks--More outrages                        33

 People of Calais attack the English packet boat                        39

 Armed packet boat, the _Speedy Post_, provided                    42

 Witherings' family connection                                          43

 Stated to have been a <DW7>, and Gentleman Harbinger
 to the Queen                                                           44

 Probable interest at Court--Said to have been a mercer
 of London--His wife--She assists in purchasing
 his office--Value of money in middle of seventeenth
 century                                                                45

 Corruption and Court favouritism                                       46

 Inland Posts                                                           47

 Means for sending inland letters--Probable conveyance
 by postmasters on their own account                                    48

 Conveyance by carriers                                                 49

 Postmasters on Western Road set up a chain of posts
 for letters of the public, 1630--Foot post from
 Barnstaple to Exeter to work into the London
 posts                                                                  50

 Project for Inland Public Posts, 1633--