SHOW MENURailway Letter Rates 1891-1984
A "railway letter" is a letter handed to a railway company at a station, to be conveyed by the first available train(s) to a destination station. From there, it could be collected from the station, put in the normal post (often fast enough in the days of multiple daily deliveries in towns) or sent on as an express letter. They were authorised by an agreement between the railway companies and the Post Office that came in force on 1st February 1891.
At first, this applied only to inland letters at the minimum weight step ("single post letters"), which meant that the maximum weight allowed varied with the changes in letter post. The original idea was that the fee should be twice the basic letter rate, but from 1918-38 this was only sometimes the case. In 1938 the system was extended to heavier letters, with fixed weight steps unconnected to the letter rate steps. Letters to overseas were allowed from 1909.
Railway letters had to have the normal letter postage paid (first class from 1968), plus a railway company stamp for their fee. The 1891 railway letter stamps were supposed to conform to a standard design set by the Post Office, and most did (although naturally some companies "did their own thing"). From about 1925 the railways seem to have been allowed to use their standard parcel stamps instead, and these rapidly replaced letter stamps, which did not reappear until the spread of private "heritage" railways from the 1950s onwards. The nationalised British Railways (BR) from 1948 used its parcel stamps.
From 3rd June 1974 the 1891 Act was superseded by a new agreement with the Post Office, which allowed all signatory companies to set their own rates (although letters transferred to BR required an extra payment). Only the BR rates are given here – railway letters carried by the private companies are almost entirely philatelic. BR withdrew from the agreement as of 9th June 1984, meaning that railway letters ceased to be a useful way of accelerating mail across the country and thus a suitable stopping point here.
Northern Ireland: From 1928-38, letters carried on a railway in Northern Ireland at any point had a higher rate than ones carried only within Great Britain, as the Irish railway companies did not reduce the fee at the same time as their British counterparts. From the 1950s, the Post Office Guide listed a rate for letters "handed in in Northern Ireland" at the stations of the Northern Ireland rail company (separate from BR), and hence travelling only within Northern Ireland. From 1969-76 there were also separate scales for railway letters sent from Great Britain to the ports of Belfast, Larne and Londonderry in Northern Ireland (the same rates applied to Douglas in the Isle of Man until 1973).
Value Added Tax: This was introduced on 1st April 1973, and the railway letter fee was subject to it. See the notes section below for details.
Standard Rates 1891-1956
| Date | Rate | Date | Rate | Date | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 (1 Feb) |
2d – 1oz | 1897 (22 Jun) |
2d – 4oz | 1915 (1 Nov) |
2d – 1oz |
| 1918 (3 Jun) |
2d – 4oz | 1920 (15 Jan) |
3d – 4oz | 1920 (1 Jun) |
3d – 3oz |
| 1920 (1 Sep) |
4d – 3oz | 1922 (29 May) |
4d – 1oz | 1923 (14 May) |
4d – 2oz |
| 1928 (1 Jan) |
3d – 2oz (NI: 4d – 2oz) |
1938 (1 Mar) |
3d – 2oz 6d – 4oz 9d – 1lb |
1940 (1 May) |
3d – 2oz 7d – 4oz 10d – 1lb |
| 1940 (1 Dec) |
4d – 2oz 7d – 4oz 11d – 1lb |
1946 (1 Jul) |
4d – 2oz 8d – 4oz 1s – 1lb |
1947 (1 Oct) |
5d – 2oz 9d – 4oz 1s 2d – 1lb |
| 1950 (15 May) |
6d – 2oz 11d – 4oz 1s 4d – 1lb |
1951 (16 Apr) |
7d – 2oz 1s – 4oz 1s 6d – 1lb |
1951 (31 Dec) |
8d – 2oz 1s 1d – 4oz 1s 8d – 1lb |
| 1952 (1 Dec) |
8d – 2oz 1s 2d – 4oz 1s 9d – 1lb |
1954 (1 Mar) |
9d – 2oz 1s 3d – 4oz 1s 11d – 1lb |
1955 (5 Jun) |
10d – 2oz 1s 5d – 4oz 2s 2d – 1lb |
| 1956 (23 Apr) |
11d – 2oz 1s 6d – 4oz 2s 4d – 1lb |
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Separate Irish Rates 1956-84
| Date | In GB | In NI | GB-NI | Date | In GB | In NI | GB-NI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| by 1956 (Jul) |
11d – 2oz 1s 6d – 4oz 2s 4d – 1lb |
7d – 2oz | 1957 (1 Aug) |
1s – 2oz 1s 8d – 4oz 2s 7d – 1lb |
7d – 2oz | ||
| 1965 (1 Feb) |
1s – 2oz 1s 9d – 4oz 2s 8d – 1lb |
7d – 2oz | 1966 (30 Jan) |
1s 1d – 2oz 1s 10d – 4oz 2s 10d – 1lb |
7d – 2oz | ||
| by 1967 (Jul) |
1s 1d – 2oz 1s 10d – 4oz 2s 10d – 1lb |
8d – 2oz | 1968 (1 Jul) |
1s 2d – 2oz 1s 10d – 4oz 2s 10d – 1lb |
8d – 2oz | ||
| by 1969 (Feb) |
1s 2d – 2oz 2s – 4oz 3s 1d – 1lb |
8d – 2oz | 1s 6d – 2oz 2s 2d – 4oz 3s 4d – 1lb |
1969 (26 May) |
1s 3d – 2oz 2s 2d – 4oz 3s 4d – 1lb |
8d – 2oz | 1s 6d – 2oz 2s 2d – 4oz 3s 4d – 1lb |
| 1970 (1 Feb) |
1s 3d – 2oz 2s 3d – 4oz 3s 5d- 1lb |
8d – 2oz | 1s 7d – 2oz 2s 5d – 4oz 3s 9d – 1lb |
1970 (6 Sep) |
2s – 2oz 3s – 4oz 4s – 1lb |
8d – 2oz | 3s – 2oz 4s – 4oz 6s – 1lb |
| 1971 (15 Feb) |
10p – 2oz 15p – 4oz 20p – 1lb |
3½p – 2oz | 15p – 2oz 20p – 4oz 25p – 1lb |
1971 (6 Jun) |
15p – 2oz 20p – 4oz 25p – 1lb |
3½p – 2oz? | 20p – 2oz 25p – 4oz 30p – 1lb |
| 1972 (21 May) |
16p – 2oz 21p – 4oz 26p – 1lb |
10p – 2oz | 21p – 2oz 26p – 4oz 32p – 1lb |
1973 (1 Apr) |
18p – 2oz 23p – 4oz 29p – 1lb |
11p – 2oz | 23p – 2oz 29p – 4oz 35p – 1lb |
| 1974 (16 Jun) |
19p – 2oz 25p – 4oz 31p – 1lb (ex VAT) |
11p – 2oz (ex VAT) |
25p – 2oz 31p – 4oz 38p – 1lb (ex VAT) |
1974 (29 Dec) |
21p – 2oz 28p – 4oz 35p – 1lb (ex VAT) |
11p – 2oz (ex VAT) |
28p – 2oz 35p – 4oz 43p – 1lb (ex VAT) |
| 1975 (13 Jul) |
24p – 60g 32p – 100g 40p – 450g (ex VAT) |
15p – 60g (ex VAT) |
32p – 60g 40p – 100g 49p – 450g (ex VAT) |
1976 (4 Jan) |
29p – 60g 38p – 100g 48p – 450g (ex VAT) |
20p – 60g (ex VAT) |
38p – 60g 48p – 100g 59p – 450g (ex VAT) |
| 1976 (20 Jun) |
60p – 450g (ex VAT) |
20p – 60g (ex VAT) |
1977 (27 Mar) |
75p – 450g (ex VAT) |
20p – 60g (ex VAT) |
||
| 1977 (6 Jun) |
75p – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g (ex VAT) |
1978 (1 Jan) |
90p – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g (ex VAT) |
||
| 1978 (31 Dec) |
99p – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g (ex VAT) |
1979 (9 Sep) |
£1.14 – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g (ex VAT) |
||
| by 1980 (7 May) |
£1.25 – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g? (ex VAT) |
by 1981 (7 Jan) |
£1.45 – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g? (ex VAT) |
||
| by 1982 (13 Jan) |
£1.60 – 450g (ex VAT) |
28p – 60g? (ex VAT) |
1983? | ? | ? | ||
| 1984 (8 Jun) |
Last day of British Rail service | ||||||
Notes
Changes in railway letter rates were usually given to postal staff in the Post Office Circular or its successor the Post Office Gazette, but not always, and the precise date of the change was not always stated. The public Post Office Guides and their supplements have been used where relevant to augment this information, but these were published less frequently and with a time lag (and occasionally not updated). In particular, the "in Northern Ireland" rates in the 1950s and 1960s are taken from the Post Office Guide.
These factors are generally the reason for the use of "by" above – it indicates the date of the source. A question mark in the tables above generally means that the previous rate appears to have continued, but this was not stated explicitly in the sources consulted. That for 1983 indicates that while the most recent specific Gazette entry had been in the form of an update to the Guide, subsequent Guides merely stated that the railway companies should be consulted about the fees without specifying them.
The fees charged by the private railway companies were typically much lower, as they only covered transit on the short stretches of rail under their control, and their provision of a "railway letter service" was effectively done only in order to sell stamps and souvenir covers to raise revenue. These fees are not included here.
Value Added Tax replaced Purchase Tax on 1 April 1973. The first subsequent entry in the Post Office Gazette does not specifically say that the railway letter rates are "+ VAT", but simply notes that BR had "increased their fees for Railway Letters and Railex letters as a result of Value Added Tax being introduced". Subsequent entries in both the Gazette and the Guide generally mention that the rates given are exclusive of VAT, although omit this for the Northern Ireland-only rates from 1978 onwards! Actual commercial covers suggest that VAT was in fact added, although additional examples would be useful (especially Irish covers). Given these circumstances, the fees quoted in the Gazette and/or Guide have been included here with a note "(ex VAT)" – if the amount on a cover does not appear to match up, try adding VAT at the standard rate for the date given in this link.
Information to clarify any of the uncertain entries is solicited!
"Jackson" = a table in The Railway Letter Posts of Great Britain, H.T.Jackson, 2nd edition 1970, p46. The source for the rates up to 1966 was stated to be "Postal Services Department, General Post Office 17/4/67"
- Notice to the Public.
- Change of first letter weight step.
- Change of first letter weight step.
- Change of first letter weight step.
- Post Office Circular 13th January 1920.
- Change of first letter weight step.
- Post Office Circular 21st September 1920. ("In consequence of the general increase in railway rates which came into force on the 1st of September the railway fee for the conveyance of single post letters ... has been increased from threepence to fourpence." This is taken as implying the rate increase was on that date – a date also given in a Railway Philatelic Group convention display.)
- Change of first letter weight step.
- Change of first letter weight step.
- Post Office Circular 14th December 1927.
- Post Office Circular 23rd February 1938.
- Jackson.
- Post Office Circular 1st December 1940.
- Post Office Circular 10th July 1946.
- Post Office Circular 1st October 1947.
- Post Office Circular 17th May 1950.
- Post Office Circular 18th April 1951.
- Post Office Circular 9th January 1952.
- Post Office Circular 3rd December 1952, Jackson.
- Post Office Circular 24th April 1954, Jackson.
- Post Office Circular 1st June 1955, Jackson.
- Post Office Circular 2nd May 1956, Jackson.
- Post Office Guide July 1956.
- Post Office Circular 7th August 1957. (Jackson gives 1st February 1958)
- Jackson.
- Jackson.
- Post Office Guide July 1967.
- Jackson. (The previous 1s 1d rate is given in the Post Office Guide of July 1968, and not changed in the "Autumn Supplement".)
- February 1969 supplement to the Post Office Guide of July 1968.
- Jackson.
- Post Office Gazette 28th January 1970.
- Post Office Gazette 9th September 1970.
- Post Office Guide February 1971.
- Post Office Gazette 2nd June 1971.
- Post Office Gazette 17th May 1972. Within Northern Ireland fee from Post Office Guide August 1972.
- Post Office Gazette 2nd May 1973.
- Post Office Gazette 12th June 1974.
- Post Office Gazette 25th December 1974 and 1st January 1975.
- Post Office Gazette 2nd July 1975.
- Post Office Gazette 24th and 31st December 1975.
- Post Office Gazette 16th June 1976.
- Post Office Gazette 23rd March 1977.
- Post Office Gazette 15th June 1977.
- Post Office Gazette 21st and 28th December 1977.
- Post Office Gazette 20th December 1978.
- Post Office Gazette 5th September 1979.
- Post Office Gazette 7th May 1980, Post Office Guide November 1980.
- Post Office Gazette 7th January 1981.
- Post Office Gazette 13th January 1982.
- Post Office Gazette 6th June 1984.
