Inked date stamps were at first called 'Bishops marks' after their inventor, Henry Bishop, Postmaster General, 1660-1663. The post office was receiving complaints about late arrival of the post. Bishop claimed: 'a stamp is invented, that is putt upon every letter shewing the day of the moneth that every letter comes to this office, so that no letter Carryer may dare to detayne a letter from post to post; which, before, was usual.' As we now know, this did not actually solve the problem, just provided more evidence that the problem existed.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
First postmarks in the world
Commemorated ati
General Letter Office
Near this spot the General Letter Office stood in Post House Yard, 1653 - 166...
Other Subjects
1 memorial
Charles Rolls
Born 35 Hill Street, W1, son of Lord Llangattock, John Rolls. A keen racing cyclist, he became the fourth man in England to own a car, took to racing cars and repeatedly broke the land speed record...
Person, Aviation, Commerce, Industry, Seriously Famous, Transport
1 memorial
Sun Fire Office
Founded in London, now the oldest existing insurance company in the world.
1 memorial
A. Deans
Worked for the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society. Was on the building committee for the Bostall Estate in 1900.
1 memorial
Thomas Davies
The bookseller and author who, in 1763, introduced Dr Samuel Johnson to James Boswell at his house in Russell Street. He took to bookselling after failing as an actor.
1 memorial
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