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| ABOVE: This A. Wilson cover is the only one to feature the A238 control number for the Manchester South Junction & Altrincham(MSJ&A) Railway. Note the 3 manuscript surcharge on the 2d green, 12th printing |
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Much is currently appearing in the press about Consignia (The Post Office) linked with monopolies and postal charge increases. This subject was of great importance right at the beginning of the issue of postage stamps, particularly with respects of the carriage of mail using the railways. The Post Office monopoly only applied to letters and railways, and other private carriers, could charge for the carriage of newspapers and parcels. As Roger de Lacy-Spencer states in his superb catalogue The Railway Letter Stamps of Great Britain and Ireland 1891-1947, from the early 1840s members of the public realised that a letter tied with string became a parcel, and thus the rules could be broken! The Railway Letter Stamp Catalogue provides a lot of details, and much of the information given below is taken from the catalogue (originally published back in November 2000).
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| ABOVE: This -/3 cover is one of only four recorded (A353 to A356) by Captain Jackson. The -/3 style indicated an increased value and was particular to the MSK&A Railway Company |
According to Roger de LacySpencer, the cause of the introduction of the Railway Letter Post was the establishment of the Court Bureau in 1889. As London at that time had no Sunday delivery or collection, mail was collected by the Bureau and 'posted' at railway stations. On February 1, 1891, the Railway Letter Post was introduced as a means of resolving the growing infringements on the Post Office monopoly. Railway Companies, mainly independent companies, could apply to convey mail direct from point to point. However, even then, such letters had to have an ordinary postage stamp affixed according to the weight of the letter, in addition to the Railway Letter Fee stamp. Various designs of stamps were considered, and ultimately, the railway companies collected its share of the postage fee by means of special stamps: 'Which must conform in design and colour chosen by the PMG'.
De Lacy-Spencer lists 76 railway companies that issued stamps in England and Wales; 13 in Scotland; and 26 in Ireland. The story behind these stamps is beyond a simple article, but we thought it interesting to have a look at the effect of changing postal (railway) rates. In January 1920 the postage rate was increased to 3d and later in 1920, it was increased to 4d. However, the volume of mail decreased significantly, bearing in mind that the national postage rate remained at 1½d, and in 1938, the rate was reduced to 3d again. |
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