Jury Summons Rates 1862-1996

Clause 11 of the Juries Act 1862 allowed for jurors in England and Wales to be summoned by post.

The words "Jury Summons" were to be written or printed on the address side of the summons, which was to be brought to any Money Order post office in duplicate, one copy to be sent registered to the juror, the other datestamped and returned to the relevant legal office as proof of posting. The Act specified that the Notices were to be registered, at a concessionary registration fee of not more than 2d (plus postage).

The same rule for service by registered letter at a reduced fee was introduced in 1873 for the County of Dublin under Acts of 1871 and 1872, extended to the whole of Ireland in 1876 (at the discretion of the judge of assize).

Note: there was never a similar Act for "Juror's Citations" in Scotland – these are just standard registered letters.

Jury summons were given separate treatment by the Post Office, with (for example) special delivery slips to be signed as late as the 1930s. However, by the mid 20th century it had become common to send them out by regular mail. The 2d fee for registered summons in England and Wales remained in place until 1964, when it was actually reduced further to 1d. This became ½p in 1971, but the rate was abolished at the end of the year, although it remained listed until 1996 in Post Office Schemes for Northern Ireland under the 1872 law.

(The Irish law was not mentioned in the 1964 regulations and 1971 scheme, which only referred to the England and Wales law, although the assumption is made here that this was because the different legal basis was overlooked, and the intention was to apply it to both parts of the UK!)

The charges below were added to postage at the normal letter rate or printed paper rate.

(a) England and Wales

(b) Ireland (Northern Ireland from 1922)