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- Title
A Passion for the Post.
- Authors
Whyman, Susan
- Abstract
The article discusses the history of the postal service in Great Britain. The delivery of mail was initiated by King Henry VIII of England as a way to speed up the transmittal of information during times of war. In 1635, the first postal service was organized by merchant Thomas Witherings of London, England. After being disrupted by civil turmoil during the Commonwealth and Protectorate, it was reconstructed during the Restoration by King Charles II, whose support included the right to read, censor, or copy posts as deemed necessary. Charles II also allowed free delivery of newspapers, which improved education standards throughout the nation. Subjects also considered are the Post Office Act of 1711, the mail coach era of the 18th century, and the social aspects of letter writing.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; GREAT Britain. Royal Mail; HISTORY of the postal service; POSTAL laws; SOCIAL history; LETTER writing; LETTER carriers; BRITISH history, 1485-; BRITISH politics &; government, 1485-
- Publication
History Today, 2009, Vol 59, Issue 12, p33
- ISSN
0018-2753
- Publication type
Article