Scotland – Internal Rates 1711-1801
Introduction
From 1711 the rates were set by the Parliament of Great Britain in terms of British currency and English miles (with multiple sheet and higher rates following the usual pattern), but differed in detail from the rates in England and Wales. The rates were not unified into a single set of charges for the whole island of Great Britain until 1801. The change from Scottish to English miles in actual fact made little difference, as in practice the Post Office worked in terms of "computed" miles until 1784, and these remained the same after 1711. This method meant that charges on letters sometimes seem to bear little relation to what the Acts or other authorisations actually said!
Letters passing through Edinburgh from one town to another were subject to two separate charges until 1801 – i.e. the current rates from the town or origin to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to the destination, typically shown separately but paid together on delivery. This caused no problems until 1784, but unfortunately the wording of the Act of that year was ambiguous. It added 1d or 2d to rates for distances below or above 150 miles, but for letters via Edinburgh it did not specify whether this was to be applied once (to the total charge for the whole journey), or twice (separately to the charges to and from Edinburgh).
This appears to have caused some confusion at the time, as well as for later postal historians! Most commonly the rates seen on such letters have the charge added twice, and thus the total rate is the sum of the current rates for the towns to and from Edinburgh; occasionally letters are seen rated the other way. The original charge marks were now crossed out in Edinburgh and a new charge mark for the total written on the letter.
The 1797 Act was expressed in a similarly ambiguous way, in terms of increasing the current rates by a penny, but this time the single-charge method was used. The town-to-town rate via Edinburgh is one penny less than the sum of the current rates for the towns to and from Edinburgh.
Date | Auth. | Mileage | Single | Double | Treble | Ounce | +ea. ¼oz |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1711 (1 Jun) |
9 Anne c.10 | Up to 50 miles | 2d | 4d | 6d | 8d | +2d | Packets 8d per oz |
50-80 miles | 3d | 6d | 9d | 1s | +3d | Packets 1s per oz | ||
Above 80 miles | 4d | 8d | 1s | 1s 4d | +4d | Packets 1s 4d per oz | ||
1765 (10 Oct) |
5 Geo 3 c.25 | One post stage | 1d | 2d | 3d | 4d | +1d | |
Up to 50 miles | 2d | 4d | 6d | 8d | +2d | Packets 8d per oz | ||
50-80 miles | 3d | 6d | 9d | 1s | +3d | Packets 1s per oz | ||
Above 80 miles | 4d | 8d | 1s | 1s 4d | +4d | Packets 1s 4d per oz | ||
1784 (31 Aug) |
24 Geo 3 s.2 c.37 | One post stage | 2d | 4d | 6d | 8d | +2d | |
Up to 50 miles | 3d | 6d | 9d | 1s | +3d | |||
50-80 miles | 4d | 8d | 1s | 1s 4d | +4d | |||
80-150 miles | 5d | 10d | 1s 3d | 1s 8d | +5d | |||
Above 150 miles | 6d | 1s | 1s 6d | 2s | +6d | |||
1797 (5 Jan) |
37 Geo 3 c.18 | One post stage | 3d | 6d | 9d | 1s | +3d | |
Up to 50 miles | 4d | 8d | 1s | 1s 4d | +4d | |||
50-80 miles | 5d | 10d | 1s 3d | 1s 8d | +5d | |||
80-150 miles | 6d | 1s | 1s 6d | 2s | +6d | |||
Above 150 miles | 7d | 1s 2d | 1s 9d | 2s 4d | +7d |