GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate

In 1839 the first step of Rowland Hill's postal reform was implemented. Inland letters were now charged by weight and not by the number of sheets. From 5 Dec 1839 letters sent within the UK and weighing up to half ounce were charged at a uniform rate of 4 pence. For prepaid letters a postmark or a manuscript "4" in red was applied, unpaid letters were postmarked in black. The postmark or manuscript "4" was always added at the senders post office.

This first step of uniform penny postage was conducted from 5 Dec 1839 up to 9 Jan 1840.

The brief 36-day period of fourpenny postage was intended to get the public and the post office employees used to prepaid postage. Nethertheless, people were free to choose whether they send their letters prepaid or unpaid. In both cases the fee to be paid was four pence.

Whilst the daily number of unpaid letters remained constant at 32,000 the number of prepaid letters rose from 9,000 to 23,000 as a result of the reduction in charge these 36 days.

First day cover

First day cover 4d rate prepaid, posted at Lombard Street on 5 December 1839. Entire sent by the Metropolitan Life Assurance Society.

Postal Rates During The Fourpenny Uniform Rate

weight unpaid paid up to 1/2 oz 4d 4d 1/2 oz upt to 1 oz 8d 8d 1 oz up to 2 oz 2s/8d 1s/4d 2 oz up to 3 oz 4s 2s thereafter per half oz up to a max of 16 oz + 1s/4d + 8d

The existing rates less than 4d remained unaffected by the new regulations. General Post The 2d rate for a distance from 8 up to 15 miles was maintained. London District Post The 2 pence and 3 pence charges for unpaid letters were maintained. The charge for prepaid letters was reduced from 2 pence to 1 penny.

Glasgow to Paisley 4 Jan 1840 (about 8 miles), "Missent to Largs", General post manuscript "2"

Medical questionnaire sent paid for 1d from London Cornhill on 02-01-1840 to an address (Blackfriars) within the London District Post ...

... and resent unpaid from TP Fleet Street one day later for 2d.

The "4" Postmark

P.J. Chadwick estimates in his statement "Charge Marks of the 4d Post 1839-1840" (Oldham 1970) that between 500 and 1,000 letters bearing handstruck "4"s remained in existence, a third of which are from Edinburgh and Glasgow and just a-very few from towns in England and Wales. He mentions two reasons:

• Postal volumes were higher in Scotland as there was a higher level of literacy among the general population
• Due to the experience of the "wheel tax" the General Post in Scotland was more familiar to the use of handstamps

A further reason why more "4" handstamps appear in Scotland might result from the fact that these were ordered from just one supplier and afterwards distributed to the individual post offices. In England, Ireland and Wales it was evidently up to the individual post offices to decide if handstamps were ordered. Amazingly no handstruck "4"s were used in London.

Handstruck Postmarks

England and Wales

Carlisle to Cockermouth 27 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate eng 103.jpg
Wakefield to Leeds 10 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	backside date stamp Wakefield

Scotland

Glasgow to Edinburgh 11 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	backside date stamps Glasgow and Edinburgh
Glasgow to Beith 21 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	backside rectangular date stamp Glasgow
Edinburgh to Dundee 21 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	backside date stamp Edinburgh
Edinburgh to Ayr 21 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	backside date stamp Edinburgh and rectangular date stamp Ayr
Leith to Charleston 12 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp in blue	backside date stamps Leith and Charleston
Aberdeen to London 23 Dec 1839 unpaid with "4" handstamp	backside rectangular date stamp Aberdeen and date stamps Edinburgh and London
Dundee to Charleston 1 Jan 1840 unpaid with "4" handstamp in black	backside date stamp Dundee

Ireland

Dublin to Ballieborough 7 Jan 1840

File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate ire 102.jpg

Manuscript "4"s

England and Wales

First day cover 4d rate unpaid, posted at K(ing St.) W.O. Westminster Office on 5 December 1839. Wrapper sent to Guisborough.

Pembroke to Rathangan 5 Dec 1839 first day of usage unpaid backside

London to Longsutton 27 Dec 1839 with additional date postmark on front prepaid

File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate eng 205.jpg

York to Halifax 23 Dec 1839 prepaid

backside

Bradford to Halifax 18 Dec 1839 prepaid

backside

Bridlington to London - probably 5 Dec 1839 prepaid with manuscript "4" in red

backside with receiving postmark London 6 Dec 1839 AM

Liverpool to London 16 Dec 1839 unpaid

backside

Leeds to Bradford 5 Jan 1840 prepaid with red manuscript "4" and red oval postmark "Paid at Leeds"

backside date postmark Leeds

Leeds to Halifax 7 Jan 1840 prepaid with red manuscript "4" and red oval postmark "Paid at Leeds"

backside date postmark Leeds

Scotland

File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate scots 201.jpg

File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate scots 202.jpg

Ireland

File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate ire 201.jpg

File:GB Fourpenny Uniform Rate ire 202.jpg

Last Day Covers

Henfield to London 9 Jan 1840 unpaid, manuscript "4"

backside date stamp Henfield in black and double ring date stamp London 10 Jan 1840 in red

London to Matlock 9 Jan 1840 last day of free franking

Medical questionnaire sent paid for 4d from London (Pall Mall) on 09-01-1840 (Last day of the Four Penny Post) to Rochester and resent unpaid on 10.01.1840 (First day of the Uniform Penny Post) and accordingly charged 2d from the recipient.

Medical questionnaire sent paid for 4d from London (Pall Mall) on 09-01-1840 (Last day of the Four Penny Post) to Rochester and returned as a paid letter on 10.01.1840 (First day of the Uniform Penny Post) and accordingly charged 1d from the sender.

09 January 1840 (Last day Four Penny Post) - Yarmouth in Norfolk to Leghorn in Italy

Last Day = 09 January 1840 Next Day = 10 January 1840 120 to 170 miles to London 10d 120 to 170 miles to London 0d Long Distance Rebate -2d Long Distance Rebate --- London to the Italian Border 1s7d London to the Italian Border 1s7d Total 2s3d Total 1s7d

Further Reading

• Alcock and Holland "Postmarks of Great Britain and Ireland", London 1940
• Robson Lowe "The Encylopaedia of Britih Empire Postage Stamps", London 1952
• David Feldman "Handbook of Irish Postal History to 1840", Dublin 1975
• James A. Mackay "Irish Postmarks since 1840", Dumfries 1982
• William Kane "Uniform Fourpenny Post in Ireland", Dublin 1989
• P.J. Chadwick "Charge Marks of the 4d Post 1839-1840", Oldham 1970
• Erhard Zietlow "Die 4-Handstempel der Experimental Fourpenny Rate", Braunschweig 2002

See also: Exhibit Sheets