The speaker for the February meeting of the Frome Family History Group was Martin Horler. His talk was entitled “The role of the Royal Mail Guard”.
The group report, “Martin began by playing on the post horn the notes that meant clear the road.
“This was an important task as the Post Office would not be held responsible for anyone injured by a Royal Mail coach.
“We moved on to the early history of the formation of the Royal Mail after Henry VIII made Sir Brian Tuke the first Master of Posts in 1516.
“Tuke had the influence and authority to establish key post towns across the country and build a formal postal network.
“The next important figure in the history of the Post office was Ralph Allen. Born in 1693, Ralph Allen was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is renowned for his reforms to the British postal system. Aged just 19, Allen became the Postmaster of Bath, and went on to work with the General Post Office to reform the postal service with great success.
“Allen produced a signed-for system to address the issue of profit being lost from undeclared mail, and improved efficiency by stopping mail from going into London and out again. It is estimated that over a 40-year period, Allen saved the Post Office £1,500,000! As well as transforming the postal system, Ralph Allen was heavily involved in the development of much of Georgian Bath, including the commission of Prior Park.
“Another innovator, John Palmer, was born in Bath, Somerset and after his education joined his father in the theatre business. He used post-chaise to move actors and scenery quickly between theatres and it was this concept that he thought could benefit the postal service.
“It was agreed by William Pitt that a test run could be enacted on the 2nd of August 1784, at Palmer’s expense. It ran between Bristol and London and was completed in 13 hours rather than the 36 it had previously taken. Due to the success of the trial, more routes were opened up across the country. By 1787 there were 47 mail coaches, however the Bristol coach took precedence over all the others.
“All Royal Mail coaches left the Swan With Two Necks public house in Lad Lane London at 7.30pm promptly, before picking up their guards and the post from the headquarters at Victoria Embankment and leaving for their destinations at 8pm. Crowds watched them leaving, the guards resplendent in their scarlett coats and bearskin hats, each carrying a pair of pistols and their post horns. Martin finished by demonstrating the various calls on the post horn.
“Martin was thanked for an excellent talk with so much information and beautifully illustrated.
Our next event will be a talk by Elsa Amor, centre director of the Latter Day Saints genealogy centre at Trowbridge. Advice sessions continue on the first Saturday in the month at the library. Please book a computer with the library staff.
