Declared Accounts: Post Office | British History Online

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 24, 1710. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1952.

Citation:

'Declared Accounts: Post Office', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 24, 1710, ed. William A Shaw( London, 1952), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol24/cclxvii-cclxxii [accessed 24 November 2024].

Post Office



DECLARED ACCOUNTS.
PIPE OFFICE: ROLL 2782.
POST OFFICE (GENERAL LETTER OFFICE AND PENNY POST OFFICE).
Account for 26 March 1709 to 25 March 1710.
Exhibited by STEPHEN LILLY, Receiver General of the Post Office.
Charge.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
depending upon several persons for balance of their accounts ended at Lady day 1685	2,125	6	0
depending upon divers postmasters and others belonging to the General Letter Office for balance of their accounts at Lady day 1709	63,958	10	1
depending upon several persons belonging to the Penny Post Office at the same time	1,936	1	11½
depending upon several other persons in arrear at the same time	671	14	1
depending upon several tradesmen for money advanced to them	650	0	0
				69,312	12	1½
revenue and profits in the Foreign Office [of the General Post Office]:
for letters brought in by the mails	20,657	18	11
received from William Browne for letters carried to and from Lisbon not included in the mails	6,910	14	11
received of Capt. Gray for the freight of passengers in the packet boat between the Brill in Holland and Harwich in 1709	817	1	0
received of John Six of Amsterdam by his contract with the Burgomasters and Regents there dated 24 June 1677 for the freight of goods and passengers between England and Amstersdam at 1,200l. per an.	1,200	0	0
received of Zachary Rogers of Falmouth for the freight of passengers and letters between Lisbon and Falmouth	1,433	15	2
total for the Foreign Office				31,019	10	0
for the revenue and profits of the General Post Office:
money received for letters taken in at the windows	2,273	2	4
money received of the Letter Receivers	896	0	9
the Post Receivers' charge, being unpaid letters sent up from the stages in the country	34,591	11	4
the Postmaster's charge for letters sent from London into the country	60,069	6	4
money due upon contracts with several Farmers, viz.:
Edward Hall of Rye, Co. Sussex, Farmer of the letters between London and Hastings and Battle in Sussex and Cranbrooke and other places, detailed, in Kent: one year's rent to 1710 Lady day	150	0	0
Matthew Staughton and John Smith of Wellingboro, ditto between London and Sheffield and Chesterfield and other places, as by their agreement of 1702 March 27: for same	1,570	0	0
William Rawson and Sarah Wainwright, ditto between London and Ferrybridge and Tadcaster and Settle &c.	1,470	0	0
Thomas Atwood of St. Neots, Co. Hants, ditto between London and St. Neots, Biggleswade &c.: for same	240	0	0
John George of Thetford, ditto between London and Thetford, Massingham et al., Co. Norfolk: for same	400	0	0
Joseph Quash of Exeter, ditto between London and Somerset, Gloucester, Worcester, Oxford, Hereford, Devon, Shropshire and South Wales: for same	700	0	0
Anne Warren of Walden, ditto between London and Havering &c. in Herts, Essex, Sussex and Cambridge	400	0	0
John Brett of Tunbridge, ditto between London and Kent and Sussex	330	0	0
John Barnes of Chichester, ditto between London and Chichester, Arundel, Petworth &c. in Surrey, Sussex and Hants	1,550	0	0
Richard Bigg of Winslow, Co. Bucks, ditto between London and Weymouth, Stanmore, Milford and sundry other places	1,180	0	0
				7,990	0	0
way letters taken in at one stage and delivered out at another, farmed to divers postmasters:
John Stucley of Plymouth	230	0	0
Mark Hayman of Dartmouth	20	0	0
Richard Cox of Totness	10	0	0
Joseph Quash of Exeter	100	0	0
Anne Woolfreys of Blandford	3	0	0
Charles Cowen of Dorchester	6	0	0
William Waterman of Sarum	4	0	0
James Wansborough of Portsmouth	7	0	0
Robert Redham of Berwick	4	0	0
John Bell of Newcastle	30	0	0
Nicholas Paxton of Durham	10	0	0
John Wilson of Darlington	5	0	0
Eliz. Harker of Northallerton	9	0	0
Barbara Thwaits of Great Abridge	2	0	0
Richard Gowland of Burrowbridge	5	0	0
Katherine Dawson of York	40	0	0
Eliz. Engles of Hull	50	0	0
William Bardwick of Beverley	4	0	0
Samuel Smith of Bantrey	3	0	0
John Herring of Newark	5	0	0
John Petty of Gainsborough	18	0	0
John Sharpe of Grantham	5	0	0
Stephen Bridge of Boston	10	0	0
John Rishton of Spalden	10	0	0
Edward Tinkerson of Peterborough	1	0	0
John Exeter of Lynn	20	0	0
Ben. Bigg of Chester	80	0	0
Jonathan Bens of Halston	10	0	0
				701	0	0
money due from John Manley, manager of the Letter Office in Dublin, for letters sent him from Chester				553	3	5
more due from him for letters sent him from Holyhead				19	6	0
money due for By or Way letters sent to Dublin				111	15	0
money received of letter carriers for letters port taxed taken in by them				1	2	4
money received of John Six of Amsterdam for ship letters directed into Holland				19	2	3
money received of several persons for the port of Express letters				177	13	0
money received of John Stuckley of Plymouth for West India letters				127	4	3
the revenue arising by the profits of the North British Office:
in 1709 Midsummer quarter	840	3	2
in 1709 Michaelmas quarter	799	10	6
in 1709 Xmas quarter	760	15	2
in 1710 Lady day quarter	1,090	4	7
				3,490	13	5
the revenue arising by the profits of the Irish Office:
in the half year ended Michaelmas 1709	6,680	15	10
in the half year ended Lady day 1710	5,605	15	1
				12,286	10	11
total revenue and profits of the General Post Office in Great Britain and Ireland				174,327	1	4
profits of the Penny Post Office:
for 959,383 letters taken in by the officers of the Penny Post	3,997	8	7
produce of the second penny for 97,148 letters taken in by the Letter Receivers in London which were directed and delivered to several places in the country	404	15	8
the produce of letters taken in at the 60 several General Penny Post Offices, being 53,475 at 1d. per letter	222	16	3
				4,625	0	6
money due and payable to the several Postmasters and others, being the balances of their respective accompts:
Monsieur Richards of Paris	2,633	18	9
Joseph Markman of Ashburton	11	6	2
John Cookson of Crewkerne	0	14	4
Edward Downs of Dartford Bridge	43	11	3
John Beauchamp of Stanes	32	5	2
Grace Carr of Belford	0	13	4
Ann Pybus of Thirsk	1	11	0
Mary Gaterfield of Bantry	4	13	4
John Simson of Bourn	17	2	0
Richard Harrison of Caxton	7	11	4
Sarah Clifford of Maidenhead	8	13	4
Edward Lock of Hounslow	5	18	0
Richard Wellington of the Hay	1	16	8
Margaret Bulkley of Beaumaris	29	12	1
John Draper of Conway	16	10	4
Jonathan Wickins of Towcester	1	18	0
Thomas Longbotham of Barnet	3	11	0
John Messer of Old Street	15	0	0
Thomas Giles of Ingatestone	0	10	9
Edward Hall of Rye	9	6	11
Mary Gardener of Southwark	11	5	0
Samuel Johnson of Walden	25	12	0
Margaret Griffith of Llaninidiffry	2	12	6
John Elliot of Hubberston	0	6	2
Samuel Coats of Piccadilly	44	12	0
Maurice Owen of Holyhead	26	8	4
				2,956	19	9
total of charge and receipts				£251,240	13	8½
Discharge.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
money due to several Postmasters and others for the balances on their accompts to Lady day 1709				3,746	18	1
abatements out of the General Charge:
country letters brought from foreign parts and from the Deputy Postmasters in England, being first charged at the General Post Office in London and sent as directed to several persons in the country whereby the growing Duty of those parts where the letters were directed is increased and likewise charged to the Deputy Postmasters, viz.:
in the Foreign Office	3,491	9	9
in the Inland Office	8,224	8	5
				11,715	18	2
letters and packetts of her Majesty and Members of Parliament delivered free:
her Majesty	15,386	8	7
Members of Parliament	359	5	7
				15,745	14	2
letters charged on several Postmasters and Letter Carryers which were brought back to the post as the addressees could not be found				1,863	0	1
foreign letters and packetts wherein were inclosed bills of exchange, merchants' accounts, bills of lading &c. exempted by Act of Parliament, and overtaxed letters, errors and abatements				483	0	6
letters sent to the General Post Office by several persons who farmed the same, they being doubly charged				5,690	2	5
(total abatements as above, 35,497l. 15s. 4d.)
salaries detailed				16,526	6	8
the administrators of Prince George of Denmark	6,250	0	0
Duke of Grafton for the Duchess of Cleveland	4,700	0	0
Earl of Rochester	4,000	0	0
Duke of Leeds	3,500	0	0
Duke of Schonberg	5,000	0	0
Duke of Marlborough	5,000	0	0
Lord Cowper	4,000	0	0
Duke of Queensberry	3,000	0	0
Earl of Seafield	3,000	0	0
William Brockett	400	0	0
Maud Johnson	300	0	0
Rebecca Chadwick, late widow of Titus Oates	300	0	0
Charles Osborne	200	0	0
Guy Palmes	250	0	0
Thomas, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery	3,750	0	0
John, Earl of Mar	2,250	0	0
the Professors of Divinity in Edinburgh University	210	0	0
ditto in Glasgow University	210	0	0
				46,320	0	0
Henry Andrews, Court Post, for carrying royal letters between the Court and the first post stage				365	0	0
several postmasters for charges of expresses by them sent for her Majesty's service				1,821	17	1
Richard Greg for sundry charges of Harwich packett boats, wear and tear, wages, victualling &c.	6,877	18	2
Edmund Dummer for the hire of several West India packett boats	12,000	0	0
Zachariah Rogers for the hire of the Expedition, Queen, Prince, Mercury, Diligence and other packett boats to Lisbon	2,854	5	8
wages for ditto	4,046	7	1¾
victualling for ditto	3,689	11	0
purchase of the King William packett boat	622	3	9
incidents	1,476	10	7¼
care and quartering of sick	303	4	4
cellar rent	8	4	3
Mr. Rogers's salary as agent of the packett boats and postmaster of Falmouth	187	10	0
stores sent to Falmouth for the Lisbon packett boats	377	2	0
John Mackay, agent at Dover for the Flanders packet boats, for his salary at 150l. per an.	150	0	0
the ordinary charge of the four packet boats	2,000	0	0
victualling for soldiers	162	12	0
paid Mr. Brown of Ostend for two expresses	103	14	0
express to Ghent to Mr. Cardonnel	2	2	6
charges of several expresses sent without mails	85	0	0
total for the expenses of the several packett boats				34,946	9	5
sundry incidents, detailed				3,074	0	8
allowances of various natures, detailed (John Six of Amsterdam for his moiety of frank letters from Hamburgh, the Northern Crowns and Italy &c.)				2,279	7	0
charges, detailed, of the Scotch Office (including franked letters of Members of Parliament, 885l. 6s. 1d.)				3,071	12	3
charges of the Irish Office, detailed (including 4,029l. 3s. 11d. for franked letters of State and of members of Parliament)				11,244	14	6
money paid into the Exchequer				14,748	13	5
and for the Penny Post Office salaries, detailed	2,167	1	10
rent of the Penny Post Offices	117	10	0
incidents	400	2	6
tenths of letters to several Letter Receivers	399	14	10
returned letters	5	11	0
officers' taxes	110	0	0
				3,200	1	2
money imprested within the time of the last accompt and discharged in this accompt				150	0	0
total payments and allowances				£176,992	16	7
and so Remains 74,257l. 17s. 1½d.
whereof:	£	s.	d.
depending in supers, detailed:
due at Lady day 1685	2,125	6	0
due from Lady day 1685 to Lady day 1710	68,199	15	9
arrears due on account of the Penny Post at Lady day 1710	2,161	1	3½
money imprested in 1708	500	0	0
money imprested in the time of this accompt	600	0	0
	£74,257	17	1½
and so this accompt is even and quit.
Declared 27 March 1713.