History of the Hastings Post Office - The Penny Postage Scheme
The year 1839 was a very important one in postal matters, because it was then that Mr. Rowland Hill's grand proposal for a uniform penny rate throughout the Kingdom, irrespective of distance, was adopted by the Government. To me, individually, it was also an interesting epoch, inasmuch as it fell to my lot to take a humble part in the work which immediately preceded the change. But although I select the above-named period as a starting-point, it may not be amiss to take a retrospective glance of a score of years with the object of reviewing some of the minor changes which led up, as it were, to the long and arduous struggle for the inestimable boon of Mr. Hill's so-called "wild and revolutionary scheme."
In a "Guide to Sea-bathing Places," published in 1815[a], the author speaks of Hastings as having a population of not much under 4,000, and as being blessed with the accommodation of stage-coaches, waggons and hoys, which regulary (sic) pass between that town and London; also as actually having the advantage of a daily post. Another work, published a year later, in its allusions to Hastings, informs us that "Government have at this place a Custom-house; a Custom-house boat, the crew of which are all landsmen, taken from amongst the Freemen; an Ordnance-fort, or no utility; and an establishment of twelve riding-officers; besides the usual retainers of the Excise and Post office." Neither of these authorities condescends to tell us where the post-office was situated at that time; but, as nearly all the influential inhabitants and principal shops, together with the Bank and Court-house were located between the Swan Hotel and the upper part of the town, there is but little room to doubt that it was situated in that direction. It should be remembered, moreover, that at the top of High-street resided the great Mr. Milward - he who was virtually the Patron of Hastings, and actually the Agent for securing the election of Treasury nominees as Members of Parliament. Now, as stated by the rhymester of local anniversaries in last week's Gazette,
In Eighteen-sev'nteen, some five days ere this,
Young Edward Milward to the altar hied,
Where Sarah Whitear thought it no amiss
With him in holy wedlock to be tied.
Both lived long years, one died and left his dame,
Who Lady Waldegrave in time became.
Suppose, then, in my retrospect of the Post-office, I go back to Valentine's Day, 1817, when Mr. Edward Milward and Miss Sarah Whitear were married, and when the Hastings Post-office not only conveyed the joyful tidings of that auspicious event to distant friends, but also transmitted, it maybe, a certain number of tender missives on behalf of Cupid and St. Valentine. It would be instructive to compare the number - as well as the style - of lovers' vows that were made through the medium of the Post by a population of 3,848 with the 50,000 billet-doux similarly transmitted when the inhabitants had increased to 31,000. But the means for this comparison do not exist; and so without straining after the impossible, it will be more profitable to compare the rate at which the mail travelled in the year 1817 with its speed at the present day, or even with the improvement that had been effected by the year 1839, which I still regard as my starting point. In the last named year the mails were about ten hours on the road from London to Hastings, whilst they are now about two; but in 1817 they were as much as fifteen. At that period Mr. Hasker was Superintendent and Surveyor of the mail-coaches, which were mostly drawn by two horses only. This would account for the Hastings mails being less expeditious than the stage-coaches which contemporaneously traveled over the same ground. The latter were two in number, one of which left the Golden Cross, Charing Cross at half-past six in the morning, and was timed to arrive at the Swan Inn, High Street, at seven in the evening, whilst the other ("The Accommodation") left the Belle Sauvage, Ludgate Hill, a few minutes later for the Crown Inn, All Saints street, doing the 64 miles, though Sevenoaks, Tunbridge, Robertsbridge and Battle in about an equal time with its rival. Fancy a retrospect of six decades only, when instead of publc (sic) conveyances capable of bringing ten-thousand persons into Hastings, as at present, the utmost accommodation then available was to some thirty or forty souls. Fancy, also, that in order to reach London at five o'clock in the evening, the departure from Hastings must be taken at four o'clock in the morning. The mail, as already observed, was even longer on the road. It arrived at ten in the forenoon, and was despatched at three in the afternoon. I have already intimated my inability to define the exact situation of the Hastings post-office either at the time when George-the-Third was King or George-the-Fourth was Regent, but it comes within the scope of my memory to recollect that at about the period when the latter first swayed the sceptre in full majesty the word Post-office was writ large in the window of a house next the "Upper Lane," since known as Waterloo Passage, The houses were not then regularly numbered, but the one in question is that which was many years occupied by Mr. Grant, and now stands as 16 in the numerical arrangement of High street. There was of course a Post-master, and I think his name was Norton. There was also a letter-carrier, and his name was Campbell - the veritable and venerable John Campbell, who severally filled the offices of Rate-collector, Police-Inspector, Inspector of Weights and Measures, Mace-bearer, &c. The postal boundaries at that period were strictly within the limits of the old town; extending in one direction to the top of High street, and in another to the west end of George street. The weight and bulk of the mail may be judged of when it is said that the letters could be carried in one hand of the postman, whilst the newspapers were carried in a bag suspended from his arm. To the few persons who happened to live "off the stones," young Campbell was glad to be a special messenger on payment of a few pence. On account of the high rate of postage, however - varying from a single rate of 4d. to a treble rate of 3s.9d., not necessarily prepayable - the amount of money to be collected was not inconsiderable. With the view of effecting some reform in this mode of taxing letters, Lieut. Treckner, a Swedish officer, invented a postage stamp, which, on the 23rd of March, 1823, was offered to the Government, but declined. Then in 1825 there were several changes in postal matters which come in my way to describe. Firstly, the new General Post-office in St. Martin's-le-Grand was commenced, from designs of Sir R. Smirke, R.A.; and, secondly, the construction of mail-coaches, which had theretofore been a monopoly in the hands of Mr. Vidler, was thrown open to competition among other builders. This latter movement led to improvement in form as well as to economy in price. The number of these vehicles also began to increase at a greater ratio, although Hastings was not yet one of the post-towns to whom the new order had extended. But there were local changes of another character which deserve notice. The commerce and the fashion of the old town was beginning to move westward. Pelham place, a grand range of buildings under the Castle cliff, had been erected; Castle street, York buildings and a portion of Wellington square were in existence; and the St. Mary's Chapel was just commenced. No wonder, then, that the Post-office at the "Upper Lane" was considered to be too far up town, and that its removal to Mr. Bryant's, at a more central part of High street, was effected. To afford additional facilities, the Hastings Commissioners, at a meeting in the month of July, passed a resolution to have the houses regularly numbered, and this resolution was quickly put into force. And the, as the "Americans" on in the parish of Holy Trinity, were by this time a rather considerable 'colony,' and, like other people, indulged occasionally in epistolary correspondence, it became necessary to increase the working staff at the Post-office. At this time there were two men in the Coastguard service whose names were William Lamb and William Shaw; and as both of these men were afterwards conspicuous figures in connection with the postal service - the former at Hastings, and the latter at St. Leonards - it seemeth not inappropriate to make the first mention of them here. Lamb was a married man of about eight-and-twenty, and not caring to risk his life in encounters with the Hastings smugglers - as he had already done once or twice - he got himself transferred to His Majesty's Civil Service, where there was less danger and less pay. He, in fact, became a letter carrier at 14s. per week, thus taking his chance when off duty of picking up a few shilling[1]s or pence by other employment. This, I repeat, was in 1825, between which and the year 1830, there were numerous changes both in the situation of the Post-office and in the person of its manager. Before I notice these changes, it may be incidentally mentioned, as an illustration of other changes, that on the 18th of July the thermometer recorded a temperature of 93 deg. in the shade, notwithstanding that on the 22nd of the preceding month there was a sharp frost, and that on the 17th of May the temperature was 6 deg. lower than on the first of January. In 1826-7, I remember the post-office had shifted its quarters to a still lower portion of High street, and consequently to what was becoming a more central part of the town. Mr. West was then Postmaster, whilst Mrs. West, who also assisted, kept a toy and stationery shop at 53 High street, at the entrance to the "Willing Land or Lane," thereafter designated and still known as "Post-office Passage." Mr. West was not permitted, however, to retain his situation a very long time, for he had on two occasions infringed the rigid rules of the establishment, and was consequently dismissed. One of these rules was that as soon as a letter was posted it became the property of the person to whom it was addressed, and could on no account be given back to the writer. But at the urgent request of a gentleman who represented to the Postmaster that a circumstance had occurred which rendered it extremely unadvisable that a posted letter should reach its destination, Mr. West found the said letter and gave it back to the writer. Some time after, the same gentleman happened to be dining with Mr. Lucas Shadwell, with whom also was the Post-office Surveyor; and in a conversation over the dinner-table, the gentleman spoke of the letter-returning transaction as an obliging act of the Hastings Postmaster, which had saved the writer of the letter from disagreeable consequences. Acting on this information, the Surveyor reprimanded Mr. West for his indiscretion, and told him that he had narrowly escaped dismissal. The offence was overlooked, but being afterwards guilty of some other dereliction of duty, Mr. West was removed, and his relative, Mr. Bossom, was put in his place, while the services of Mrs. West were retained as assistant. The office was also removed to 55 (see my note below), on the opposite side of the street. In 1827 two mail-coaches were established to run daily between Hastings and London, and on the 20th of June a dinner (served up by Mr. Edwards) was given at the King's-head Inn to Mr. Boykett Breeds, as a public acknowledgement of his spirited exertions in furtherance of the object.
To persons living out of the limits of the postal district an additional penny to the ordinary postage was charged on each letter and newspaper for its delivery; and in 1828, Edward Hide, a youth of 15 years, was engaged to supersede the boys Bossom and West in that kind of work. The pence were paid to the Postmaster as one of his perquisites, but owing to the houses being few and far between, the amount received was so inconsiderable that the youthful letter-carrier had to do the daily round for five shilling[2]s per week. How unremunerative was that young man's labour my readers shall judge from the following description of his route. Leaving the office - say at 7 or 8 o'clock in the morning, his first effort would be to climb the steep hill to High Wickham and Barley lane; thence to descend the fields to Holloway place, where he would again set out for an uphill trudge traversing the London road for a mile to the Hare-and-Hounds Inn. He would then strike across the fields to the residence of Mr. Planta, M.P., at Fairlight place. Returning to the village of Ore, he would pass through that, and round the road for another mile to Sir Howard Elphinstone's at Ore place (now the residence of Thos. Spalding, Esq.). He next journeyed across the Forty-acre field to Halton, and thence down what is now Priory road to St. Mary's terrace - better known in those days as "The Long Fields." He would then descend "The Steeps" to Stonefield road and so much of St. Andrew's terrace (now road) as was then inhabited, where, having arrived at the end of his delivery, he would have to walk another five or six furlongs to get back to the office. This, however, might be called his extended circuit, a few years later, and when the Postmaster's pence were sufficiently increased in number to allow Mr. Hide to receive the magnificent wage of six-and-six per week. Some writer has asserted that those -
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- ↑ An explanation of old currency and coinage may be found at the following website Pre-decimal currency, accessdate: 16 June 2022
- ↑ An explanation of old currency and coinage may be found at the following website Pre-decimal currency, accessdate: 16 June 2022
