Postage Stamp
Sir Rowland Hill
Sir Rowland Hill
Born3 December 1795
Died27 August 1879 | Age 83

Sir Rowland Hill 1840


The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was the first pre-paid mail service, issued in Great Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year.

 

The Penny Black
Prior to the Penny Black letters were paid for by the recipient. Postage was only available to the wealthy and many letters were returned if the receiver would not pay.
Penny Black
Penny Black

The Royal Mail had existed in Britain since '1516' but there were concerns it had become old and chaotic. Rowland Hill's radical answer was that a uniform charge be introduced that would sweep away the bureaucracy and vast amounts of useless labour thus cheapening the whole operation, which would enable the Post Office to fix the postage rate as low as 'One Penny' this made postage available to the masses.

The postal reform that swept the world

It took only five months till the new system was running smoothly and soon other countries wanted the principle adopted for their mail service.

Early Life

Born in Kidderminster in Worcestershire, England on the 3rd December 1795, Rowland was the third son of Thomas Wright Hill. At the age of seven his father took charge of a boarding school in Birmingham and this is where Rowland was educated. In 1807 Rowland Hill became a student-teacher at his father's school. As a sideline Rowland was also an inventor, although most of his ideas were never used.

The emblem of Rule Britannia
In History
  • 21 September 1936.
    This month 87 years ago the world lost Frank Hornby
  • 01 September 1976.
    This month 47 years ago the world lost Percy Shaw
  • 10 September 1960.
    This month 63 years ago the world lost Harold Gillies
  • 01 September 1806.
    This month 217 years ago the world lost Edward Nairne
  • 21 September 1836.
    This month 187 years ago the world lost John Stafford Smith
  • 01 September 1846.
    This month 177 years ago the world lost Edwin Beard Budding
  • 25 September 1936.
    This month 87 years ago the world lost William Horlick
  • Christmas Cracker. 200 years ago 18/10/1823 Tom Smith was born
  • 17 September 1877.
    This month 146 years ago the world lost William Henry Fox Talbot
  • 18 September 1938.
    This month 85 years ago the world lost William Fletcher
  • Marshall Amplification. 100 years ago 29/7/1923 Jim Marshall was born
  • 10 September 1938.
    This month 85 years ago the world lost Charles Cruft
  • 18 September 1967.
    This month 56 years ago the world lost John Cockcroft
  • 16 September 1890.
    This month 133 years ago the world lost Louis Le Prince
  • 50 years ago in 1973 The first stable LCD is announced to the world.
The emblem of Rule Britannia
Who Invented?
Who Discovered?
Who Created?
The History of..

Tags: