For ordering and viewing options, select View at BPMA
- Held At: GB 813 The Royal Mail Archive, Freeling House
- Finding Number: POST 43 Series
- Date: 1683-2003
- Level: Series
- Extent: 10 boxes, 85 files, 274 volumes and 4 pamphlets
- Creator Name: GPO
- Administrative or Biographical History: The earliest established packet stations were Dover to Calais 1633, Harwich to Holland 1660, Falmouth to Spain and Portugal 1689 and Falmouth to the West Indies in 1702. Mail was carried in sailing packets up to 1815, but after this date these gradually gave way to steam-driven vessels. By 1840 the carrying of mail had been put into the hands of the commercial shipping lines, Cunard, Peninsular and Oriental Shipping Company, the West Indian Royal Mail, Union Castle etc., who found the postal subsidies valuable as they extended their routes further to keep pace with the expansion of the British Colonies. After 1840 the General Post Office introduced domestic and Imperial penny postage (in 1898), and before the Second World War, 1939-1945, pioneered a comprehensive airmail service, carrying letters at a standard rate without air surcharges. During the war it also introduced the airgraph and, later the airletter which was prefranked with the standard postage.
- Description: This class primarily relates to the establishment and organisation of the packet boat and shipping services between the United Kingdom and overseas. There are a small number of records relating to operational procedures between the Post Office and HM Customs and Excise Office. The records mainly consist of Post Office Daily Lists of ship's departure and arrival times, and mail carried. It also contains Packet boat log books, voyage record books and Packet station correspondence relating to personnel, stores held, and armed conflict.
It also includes some later records concerning the general organisation of overseas mail including by air.
Some records have been re-classified from POST 12 and POST 45. - Language: English
- System of Arrangement: The class is divided into three sub-series: Organisation and Services, Packet Boats and Voyage Records. These are in turn sub-divided into sub-sub-series based on area of operation or type of record.
- Related Material: Please also see POST 4 Financial, for Accounts, Packet stations and Agents; POST 14/238-334 for information on revised rates of postage for overseas mails, steam packet boat sailings etc.; POST 48 for overseas mails letter books; and POST 51 for contracts with shipping companies.
- Legal Status: Public Record
- Access Status: Part Closed
- For more information contact: British Postal Museum and Archive
Ordering the Document
Sorry, this document cannot be ordered.
There are several reasons why documents cannot be ordered. They may be:
- in such a poor physical state that looking at them would cause damage
- documents containing sensitive personal information about living people
- on loan to another institution
- known to have existed but never received
- temporarily mislaid
- most conveniently consulted in another format, such as on microfilm
- a collection of files or an object rather than a single file or item that can be consulted in the search room
- a library book available on open shelving
In order to ask us direct questions about specific documents and items, we do need you to use your Reader account, please register with us if you do not yet have one. We would like you to register even if you have no intention of visiting us at BPMA, thank you.