Britain issues the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp (1839–1840)

The Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but became valid for use on 6 May. This event was part of the Uniform Penny Post reform, which established a uniform one-penny rate for letters regardless of distance. Rowland Hill championed these reforms, including pre-payment via stamps, leading to a dramatic increase in correspondence volume.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The Uniform Penny Post was a component of the comprehensive reform of the Royal Mail in the 19th century. It established a government monopoly and set a charge of one penny for carriage and delivery between any two places in the United Kingdom, irrespective of distance. This reform was based on Rowland Hill's 1838 proposal to parliament, which suggested a uniform rate of one penny per half ounce.

Implementation. Hill's proposal paved the way for the Post Office (Duties) Act 1840, which introduced the Uniform Penny Post. The penny rate was implemented on 10 January 1840, before stamps or letter sheets could be printed. Prepaid letter sheets with designs by William Mulready were distributed in early 1840, facilitating the transition to pre-paid postage.

Impact. In 1840, the first year of Penny Post, the number of letters sent in the UK more than doubled. The volume of paid internal correspondence increased dramatically by 120% between November 1839 and February 1840. The reforms made the postal service more accessible to the British population at large.

People involved

Sources

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