You wouldn’t expect a history talk to begin with a cartoon, but the East Leake & District Local History Society meeting began with Postman Pat & His Black and White Cat!
The talk was on “The Robins and the History of the Post Office”, Robins being the nickname for postmen in the 1800s who wore red jackets.
Pigeons have been used to send messages since Roman times, but the basis of The Royal Mail was established in 1516 by Henry VIII, although only the elite were able to send messages as commoners were unable to read or write. 
In 1660 Charles II established the GPO and the postmark was introduced to ensure prompt delivery, which was by foot, on horseback, or later by mail coach. The mail coaches would also carry passengers but as they were on a tight schedule they drove at some speed between designated stops and passenger comfort came second to getting the mail there on time. To facilitate a quick journey a horn would blow as the mail coach approached a turnpike so this could be opened and the coach would not have to stop.
Closeup on a woman’s hand as she is posting a letter
Original “post offices” were in coffee houses, and the cost for transporting and delivering a letter was paid by the recipient not the sender.
Adhesive postage stamps were introduced in 1839, and the first post box appeared in 1852 – before then a postal collector roamed the street ringing a bell and collecting letters for delivery.
Today the Royal Mail handles around 84 million items per day, and although our trusty postman does his round on foot as in the past, before our mail goes into his postbag for delivery to our letterbox it may have travelled by plane, boat, train, lorry or van to reach us.
Our next talk at 7.30pm on Wednesday 19th October in St. Mary’s Church will be something quite different – The Rutland Roman Villa Project, an archaeological dig of great significance recently featured on TV. If you are interested in hearing what has been discovered, do come and join us.
If you’d like to find out more information contact: [email protected], or tel. 01509 853246.