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
Foyles bookshop
Created by William and Gilbert Foyle. Â See William for more information. For more on old London bookshops see Spitalfields Life.
Co-operative Bank
A retail and commercial bank with headquarters in Manchester. Formed in 1872 as the Loan and Deposit Department of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, becoming the CWS Bank four years later. Howeve...
Viscount Wakefield of Hythe, Charles Cheers
Businessman. Born Liverpool. His brand name being Castrol he was very successful and set up in the City of London. Lord Mayor in 1915-16. Promoted and funded pioneering aviation and motor sports. 1...
Cesar Picton
Former slave and businessman. Born in Senegal, (his birth year is approximate). At the age of about six, he was bought and taken to England, where he was presented as a servant to Sir John Phillipp...

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