Sir ROWLAND HILL & THE POSTAL REFORMS

Hi, I am Swikruti here. So today i would like to share information about stamps. And about sir Rowland Hill and The Postal Reforms.


Sir ROWLAND HILL

& THE POSTAL REFORMS

The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It first was issued in Great Britain on 1 May 1840, for official used from 6 May of that year. It features a profile of Queen Victoria.

Since its inception, it has been every stamp collectors dream to own the little black stamp that made post affordable for a normal person. But the Penny Black, which first went on sale in London 175 years ago today, had a troubled birth.

Before the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive stamp, only the very rich could afford to use the post. Until 1840, letters were charged by the number of sheets written upon and the distanced travelled to send them – and the recipient, rather than the sender, had to pay.

In 1837, British postal rates were high, complex and anomalous. To simplify matters, Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance travelled. By contrast, the Penny Black allowed letters of up to 1⁄2 ounce (14 grams) to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance.

Sir Rowland Hill, (Born 3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his solution of prepayment, facilitating the safe, speedy and cheap transfer of letters. Hill later served as a government postal official, and he is usually credited with originating the basic concepts of the modern postal service, including the invention of the postage stamp.                                                           

The portrait chosen for the stamp was based on the profile of Queen Victoria at age 15.

The Penny Black - world's first stamp.