Part 2

In 1776, the modern Stage Coach was introduced into Scotland; the first coach arriving in Edinburgh on the 10th April. It performed the journey to London in 60 hours. And in the same year the first Penny Post in Scotland was established in Edinburgh by Peter Williamson, an eccentric native of Aberdeen, who, in consequence of keeping a coffee-shop in the hall of the Parliament House, was frequently employed by gentlemen attending the courts, to forward letters to different parts of the city. This kind of business increased so much, that he opened an office, and established a regular Penny Post delivery of letters throughout the city. He had hourly deliveries, and agents at various parts of the town to collect letters. The men who delivered, of whom there were four in uniform, also collected letters, and for this purpose they rang a bell as they proceeded on their rounds to give information of their approach. Williamson's success soon induced others to attempt a similar undertaking; but the authorities of the General Post Office, seeing the importance of this branch of business as a source of revenue, gave Williamson a pension for the good will of the business, and the Penny Post was then attached to the general establishment.[36] The Scottish Penny Posts were afterwards confirmed to the General Post, by an Act of Parliament, in the reign of George III.[37]

In 1781, twenty-three persons, including six letter-carriers, were employed in the Edinburgh establishment, and the number of Post towns had increased to 140.[38]

A direct Mail between London and Glasgow was not established before 1788, when, on the 7th July, the first Mail Coach from London arrived in Glasgow. Previously the correspondence between those cities passed through Edinburgh, where it was detained twelve hours to be sent with the Mail to Glasgow at night.[39]

In 1791, the number of persons required to conduct the business of the Edinburgh Office was thirty-one, and the number of Post towns in Scotland 164.[40] In 1794, the Inland Office, including the letter-carrier's branch, consisted of twenty-one persons.

Having followed the Scottish Post Office down to the close of the eighteenth century, it may be observed, that for a long time after its introduction and establishment, it was conducted solely with a view to the convenience and security of the correspondence of the public, and that it frequently received assistance from the Scottish Government by pecuniary grants; and if we except the periods of rebellion, when a certain amount of _surveillance_ was exercised by the agents of Government as a measure of State security, the Post Office in Scotland appears to have been conducted with great integrity and freedom from abuse.

In 1810, the Inland Office, including the letter-carriers' branch, consisted of thirty-five persons; in 1820, of thirty-nine; and in 1830, of fifty-two persons.

In April 1713, the Post Office in Edinburgh was removed to the first story of a house opposite the Tolbooth, on the north side of the High Street.[41] At a later time it occupied the first floor of a house near the Cross, above an alley which still bears the name of the Post Office Close. It was removed from this to a floor in the South side of the Parliament Square, which was fitted up like a shop, and the Letters were dealt across an ordinary counter like other goods. At this time all the out-door business of delivery in town was managed by one letter-carrier. From the Parliament Square, the Post Office was removed to Lord Covington's house, thence after some years, to a house on the North Bridge,[42] and to the present Office in 1821, at which period the despatch of the Mails was conducted in an apartment about 30 feet square. This apartment was purposely kept as dark as possible, in order to derive the full advantage of artificial light, employed in the process of examining letters, to see whether they contained enclosures or not.

At the present time, the Establishment in Edinburgh consists of 225 officers, of which 114 are Letter-Carriers, Porters, and Messengers. The average number of letters passing through and delivered in Edinburgh daily, may be estimated at 75,000. The number of Mail Bags received daily is 518, and the number despatched is 350. The amount of Money Orders issued and paid, shows a sum of £1,758,079 circulating annually through the Department in Scotland.

GENERAL POST OFFICE, _Edinburgh, 28th December, 1855_.

PRINTED BY W. H. LIZARS, EDINBURGH.

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The Post Office Act of ANNE, 1710, united the POST OFFICES of ENGLAND and SCOTLAND under one POSTMASTER-GENERAL, entitled the POSTMASTER-GENERAL OF GREAT BRITAIN, and the Office in SCOTLAND was managed by DEPUTY. The following is a LIST of the DEPUTY POSTMASTERS-GENERAL in SCOTLAND from that time down to 1830, when the Office of DEPUTY POSTMASTER-GENERAL for SCOTLAND was abolished--

1710 GEORGE MAIN 1715 JAMES ANDERSON 1717 SIR JOHN INGLIS 1736 ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS 1741 ALEXANDER HAMILTON of Innerwick 1766 ROBERT OLIPHANT of Rossie 1796 THOMAS ELDER of Forneth 1799 WILLIAM ROBERTSON 1802 ROBERT TROTTER of Castlelaw 1807 Hon. FRANCIS GRAY, afterwards Lord GRAY of Kinfauns 1811 JAMES, 12th Earl of CAITHNESS 1823 Sir DAVID WEDDERBURN, Bart.

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] This appears from the Rolls of Exchequer in Her Majesty's General Register House at Edinburgh.

[2] Oliver & Boyd's New Edinburgh Almanac for 1839, pp. 88-94.

[3] Kennedy's "Annals of Aberdeen," vol. i. page 262.

[4] Rymer's "Foedera," vol. xix. page 649.

[5] Oliver & Boyd's New Edinburgh Almanac for 1839, pp. 88-94.

[6] Register of Privy Seal, 1660-1666, vol. i. page 93. Arnott's "History of Edinburgh," page 357.

[7] Privy Seal Register, 1660-1666, vol i. page 93.

[8] It appears that the office of Postmaster-General had been held by Sir W. Seaton, sometime before the appointment of Grahame.

[9] Registrum Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum, 1664, page 406; H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh.

[10] Robert Mein, in addition to the office of Sole Keeper of the Letter Office, Edinburgh, appears to have held the office of King's Confectioner and Comfit Maker--Register of Privy Seal of Scotland, vol. i. page 93.

[11] Registrum Secreti Concilii Regum Scotorum, Acta 1661-1667, page 186; H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh.

[12] The grant is made to William Seton and Agnes Black, or the longest liver of the two, during all the days of their lives.

[13] Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, vol. i. 1660-1666, pp. 330, 331; H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh.

[14] One Scots shilling was about that time equal to one penny sterling.

[15] Ordinance of the Privy Council, passed 28th January 1669. The Ordinance says--"The Lords of his Majesty's Privy Council having considered a petition presented to them by Robert Mein, Keeper of the Letter Office at Edinburgh, with concourse and consent of Patrick Grahame of Inchbrakie, Postmaster-General, and diverse noblemen, gentlemen, merchants, traders, and others inhabiting in and about the northern shires of this kingdom, desyring for the advancement of trade correspondence and convenience of the King's subjects, that Foot Posts might be erected for carrying and recarrying of letters upon the northern road betwixt Edinburgh and Inverness, at such reasonable rates and pryces as the council should think fit.... The said Lords find the desyr of the said petition reasonable, and much importing the benefite and conveniency of His Majesty's leidges in these northern parts, and therefore doe hereby grant full power and commission to the said Robert Mein to erect and settle constant Foot Posts upon the said road." Registrum Secreti Concilii Regum Scotorum, Acta 1667-1673, pp. 182, 183. H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh.

[16] M'Culloch's Commercial Dictionary, Article "Roads." A Scotch merk was about that time equal to 1s. 1½d. sterling.

[17] Privy Council Record.

[18] Scottish Acts of William III. vol. i. sess. 5, cap. 20.

[19] Old Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. vii. p. 586.

[20] Exchequer Roll in H. M. Register House, Edinburgh.

[21] Chamberlain's "State of Great Britain, 1708," page 745.

[22] Act of Anne, Parl. IX. cap. 10.

[23] "Caledonia," by George Chalmers, vol. iii. p. 20.

[24] Author of "Diplomata et Numismata Scotiæ," "Collections relating to the History of Queen Mary of Scotland," &c.

[25] From the Account, "for the month of August 1715, of James Wemyss, Principal Clerk, G.P.O., Edinburgh." Anderson's MS. Papers.

[26] In this letter, the Postmaster of Inverness informs the Postmaster-General, that on "Tuesday morning" the "Laird of Mackintosh, with a body of four or five hundred men," entered the town of Inverness, and having placed sentries at the doors of several of the magistrates and inhabitants, Mackintosh of Borlum proclaimed the Pretender at the Cross; and then the rebels, after seizing a sum of public money and some lead, retired "without doing further wrong." The carrying away of this money appears to have put some of the public authorities of Inverness in a "straite" for "want of money." The Postmaster on that account advanced six pounds, and apologized to the Postmaster-General for making this use of the Post Office money without orders.

[27] "Anderson, MS. Papers," Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.

[28] Arnott's "History of Edinburgh," page 541.

[29] "State of Scotland, 1738," page 185.

[30] "Scots Almanac, 1741."

[31] Arnott's "History of Edinburgh," page 538.

[32] M'Culloch's Com. Dic. article--"Roads." In the ten years that followed 1750, there were successive turnpike Acts passed for Edinburghshire, for Lanarkshire, and various ways that are connected with Edinburgh and Glasgow. In 1762, Parliament gave £4000 towards building the bridges across the Tweed at Coldstream, making the subservient roads, and afterwards £800 for making a road from Ballantrae to Stranraer, in order to facilitate the passage to Ireland. In 1770, the Parliament began to make annual grants of £6998, for repairing the new roads and building bridges in the Highlands--"Caledonia," by Chalmers, vol. i. p. 36.

[33] The Postmaster of Falkirk, writing to the Postmaster-General at the time Mr. Anderson held that office, says--"The carriers carry more letters than the Post," and gives a list of carrier's names, and recommends that their horses be seized. Anderson, MS. Papers.

[34] Arnott's "History of Edinburgh," page 538.

[35] "Scots Almanac, 1771."

[36] Chambers's Gazetteer.

[37] 34 George III. cap. 17, 1794.

[38] Scots Almanac, 1781.

[39] M'Culloch's Com. Dict. article "Roads."

[40] Scots Almanac, 1791.

[41] Notice of removal of Post Office, Edinburgh, in "Scots Courant, April 1713."

[42] Chambers's "Traditions of Edinburgh."