Letter Rates 1840-1968
Uniform Penny Postage was introduced on 10th January 1840 after a short test of the principle of charging by weight at a 4d rate. A "letter" essentially meant anything that did not meet the special conditions for some other class of mail, and with only the overall postal restrictions on content. Rates in this period are straightforward, and interpretation of an ordinary cover is usually simply a question of noting what weight band was covered by a given rate.
This structure of rates remained in force until the introduction of two-tier post on 16th September 1968. All rates below are prepaid rates: unpaid rates were double.
Much of the mail was sent at the basic rate (the first entry in each section below), but higher rates should not be considered at all unlikely! Note that 'each additional X oz' is shorthand for 'each additional X oz or fraction thereof'. For clarity and ready reference, at least the first dozen rates have been shown in each section – which should be far enough for the further progression to be clear.
Date | Rates | Date | Rates | Date | Rates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1840 (10 Jan) |
1d – ½oz 2d – 1oz 4d – 2oz 6d – 3oz 8d – 4oz 10d – 5oz 1s – 6oz 1s 2d – 7oz 1s 4d – 8oz 1s 6d – 9oz 1s 8d – 10oz 1s 10d – 11oz 2s – 12oz 2s 2d – 13oz 2s 4d – 14oz 2s 6d – 15oz 2s 8d – 1lb 1lb max until 31st July 1847, then each extra 1oz – 2d Up to 4oz could initially be sent for 1d within a local Penny Post, as before |
1865 (1 Apr) |
1d – ½oz 2d – 1oz 3d – 1½oz 4d – 2oz 5d – 2½oz 6d – 3oz 7d – 3½oz 8d – 4oz 9d – 4½oz 10d – 5oz 11d – 5½oz 1s – 6oz Each additional ½oz – 1d |
1871 (5 Oct) |
1d – 1oz 1½d – 2oz 2d – 4oz 2½d – 6oz 3d – 8oz 3½d – 10oz 4d – 12oz 5d – 13oz 6d – 14oz 7d – 15oz 8d – 1lb 9d – 1lb 1oz Each additional 1oz – 1d |
1885 (1 Jul) |
1d – 1oz 1½d – 2oz 2d – 4oz 2½d – 6oz 3d – 8oz 3½d – 10oz 4d – 12oz 4½d – 14oz 5d – 1lb 5½d – 1lb 2oz 6d – 1lb 4oz 6½d – 1lb 6oz Each additional 2oz – ½d |
1897 (22 Jun) |
1d – 4oz 1½d – 6oz 2d – 8oz 2½d – 10oz 3d – 12oz 3½d – 14oz 4d – 1lb 4½d – 1lb 2oz 5d – 1lb 4oz 5½d – 1lb 6oz 6d – 1lb 8oz 6½d – 1lb 10oz Each additional 2oz – ½d |
1915 (1 Nov) |
1d – 1oz 2d – 2oz 2½d – 4oz 3d – 6oz 3½d – 8oz 4d – 10oz 4½d – 12oz 5d – 14oz 5½d – 1lb 6d – 1lb 2oz 6½d – 1lb 4oz 7d – 1lb 6oz Each additional 2oz – ½d |
1918 (3 Jun) |
1½d – 4oz 2d – 6oz 2½d – 8oz 3d – 10oz 3½d – 12oz 4d – 14oz 4½d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 2oz 5½d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 6oz 6½d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 10oz Each additional 2oz – ½d |
1920 (1 Jun) |
2d – 3oz 3d – 4oz 3½d – 5oz 4d – 6oz 4½d – 7oz 5d – 8oz 5½d – 9oz 6d – 10oz 6½d – 11oz 7d – 12oz 7½d – 13oz 8d – 14oz Each additional 1oz – ½d |
1922 (29 May) |
1½d – 1oz 2d – 3oz 2½d – 4oz 3d – 5oz 3½d – 6oz 4d – 7oz 4½d – 8oz 5d – 9oz 5½d – 10oz 6d – 11oz 6½d – 12oz 7d – 13oz Each additional 1oz – ½d |
1923 (14 May) |
1½d – 2oz 2d – 4oz 2½d – 6oz 3d – 8oz 3½d – 10oz 4d – 12oz 4½d – 14oz 5d – 1lb 5½d – 1lb 2oz 6d – 1lb 4oz 6½d – 1lb 6oz 7d – 1lb 8oz Each additional 2oz – ½d |
1940 (1 May) |
2½d – 2oz 3d – 4oz 3½d – 6oz 4d – 8oz 4½d – 10oz 5d – 12oz 5½d – 14oz 6d – 1lb 6½d – 1lb 2oz 7d – 1lb 4oz 7½d – 1lb 6oz 8d – 1lb 8oz Each additional 2oz – ½d |
1952 (1 May) |
2½d – 2oz 3d – 4oz 4d – 6oz 5d – 8oz 6d – 10oz 7d – 12oz 8d – 14oz 9d – 1lb 10d – 1lb 2oz 11d – 1lb 4oz 1s – 1lb 6oz 1s 1d – 1lb 8oz Each additional 2oz – 1d |
1956 (1 Jan) |
2½d – 2oz 4d – 4oz 5½d – 6oz 7d – 8oz 8½d – 10oz 10d – 12oz 11½d – 14oz 1s 1d – 1lb 1s 2½d – 1lb 2oz 1s 4d – 1lb 4oz 1s 5½d – 1lb 6oz 1s 7d – 1lb 8oz Each additional 2oz – 1½d |
1957 (1 Oct) |
3d – 1oz 4½d – 2oz 6d – 4oz 7½d – 6oz 9d – 8oz 10½d – 10oz 1s – 12oz 1s 1½d – 14oz 1s 3d – 1lb 1s 4½d – 1lb 2oz 1s 6d – 1lb 4oz 1s 7½d – 1lb 6oz Each additional 2oz – 1½d |
1965 (17 May) |
4d – 2oz 6d – 4oz 8d – 6oz 10d – 8oz 1s – 10oz 1s 2d – 12oz 1s 4d – 14oz 1s 6d – 1lb 1s 9d – 1lb 2oz 2s – 1lb 4oz 2s 3d – 1lb 6oz 2s 6d – 1lb 8oz Each additional 2oz – 3d |