The Penny Post: 1680

William Dockwra.

Dockwra's London Penny Post

In 1680 William Dockwra, a merchant, set up as a private
venture a postal service covering London and its suburbs.

It was the first post to use postmarks indication that
postage had been prepaid. With its cheap, flat rates of
postage and frequent deliveries it was a remarkable
precursor of the postal systems of today.

In 1682, when the service was becoming a commercial
success, an action was brought against the proprietor
for infringing the postal monopoly of the state. As a
result the service was taken over by the Government.

The early triangular 'Penny Post Paid' markings used
by Dockwra's post and its state-operated successor
are keenly sought by post history enthusiasts.

- R. J. Sutton 6th edition revised by K. W. Anthony
The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia
Published 1966

The Dockwra postmark

ADDENDUM

William Dockwra and his partner Robert Murray
launched such a service on 27th March, 1680,
with much publicity, and offered to carry letters,
and parcels, within the London area for the sum
of one penny. They started with a Head office in
Lime Street, [ a few hundred yards from the
General Post Office ] and 7 Sorting Offices.

In two years it had grown so much that they
required between 400 and 500 Receiving
Houses, with messengers who delivered
between 5 and 15 times every day.

The mail was marked with date and time
stamps to show when and where the letter
was posted, and that the penny postage
had been paid.

The Duke of York, - the King's brother -
complained, claiming it infringed the
monopoly of the Post Office,
[established in 1635] from which he
received the profits, which had been
granted to him by Parliament in 1663.

As a result, Dockwra lost his Penny Post
and it was incorporated into the General
Post Office, which had thereby gained an
efficient organised postal system.
[qf. Before the Penny Black by E and R Shanahan ]

William Dockwra was offered a pension
and later appointed as Controller, but
eventually Dockwra was accused of
mismanagement and lost job and pension.
[Qf. R.T. van Capelleveen ]