Declared Accounts: Post Office | British History Online

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 27, 1713. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1955.

Citation:

'Declared Accounts: Post Office', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 27, 1713, ed. William A Shaw, F H Slingsby (London, 1955), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol27/ccclxxx-ccclxxxvi [accessed 12 February 2025].

Post Office



DECLARED ACCOUNTS: POST OFFICE.
PIPE OFFICE: ROLL 2785 [E351/2785].
AUDIT OFFICE: BUNDLE 1959, ROLL 45 [A.O.1/1959/45].
Stephen Lilly, Receiver General of the General Letter Office and of the Penny Post Office.
26 March 1712 to 25 March 1713.
Charge.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Arrears: remaining in the Accomptant's hands on his last preceding Accompt, nil, he being even and Quit	nil
depending on several persons at Ladyday 1685	2,125	6	0
depending on divers Postmasters etc. of the General Letter Office at Ladyday 1712	67,221	6	4
depending on several persons of the Penny Post Office, ditto	2,255	8	10
and upon several other persons in arrear, ditto	671	14	1
				(fn. 1) 72,273	14	3
Receipts: revenue and profits of the General Post Office, 25 March 1712 to 25 March 1713:
in the Foreign Office [of the General Post Office]:
the produce of letters brought in by the mails; by months	23,411	6	11
letters to and from Portugall not included in the above	6,732	17	6
received of Capt. Phillipson for the freight of passengers in the packet boats between Holland and Harwich	869	16	3
received of John Durden for letters and passengers etc. between Lisbon and Falmouth and of Mrs. Anne Rogers of Falmouth	2,795	13	4
received of John Six of Amsterdam by virtue of his contract with the Lords Burgomasters there for freight between England and Amsterdam	1,200	0	0
received of John Paine of Brussells for letters sent him	303	8	4
total for the Foreign Office				35,313	2	4
in the Inland Office [of the General Post Office]:
received for letters at the Inland window; by months	1,286	2	4
received of the Letter Receivers; ditto	725	2	4
the Letter Carriers' charge for letters sent up from the country; ditto	60,442	18	2
the Postmasters' charge for letters sent into the country; ditto	74,660	17	11
way letters, taken in at one stage and delivered at another, farmed to divers Postmasters:
John Stukley of Plymouth	230	0	0
Mary Hayman of Dartmouth	20	0	0
James Buckley of Totness	10	0	0
Joseph Quash of Exeter	100	0	0
Abraham Hacket of Blandford	3	0	0
Charles Coven of Dorchester	6	0	0
William Waterman of Sarum	4	0	0
Moses Baxter of Portsmouth	7	0	0
Richard Bodham 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
Elizabeth Harker of Northalerton	9	0	0
Barbara Thwaites of Great Habridge [Greta Bridge]	2	0	0
Richard Gowland of Boroubridge [Boroughbridge]	5	0	0
Catharine Dawson of York	40	0	0
Mary Mould of Hull	50	0	0
Robert Pattison of Beverley	4	0	0
John Herring of Newark	5	0	0
Francis Ward of Boston	10	0	0
John Rishton of Spalding	10	0	0
Edward Tinkerson of Peterborough	1	0	0
John Exton of Lynn	20	0	0
Hannah Petty of Gainsborough	24	0	0
and John Sharp of Grantham	5	0	0
total for way letters 614l. 0s. 0d.
received from Isaac Manley, Manager of the Letter Office in Dublin, for letters sent from Chester	699	18	4
ditto, for letters sent from Holyhead	15	7	6
received from Thomas Reynell of Chester for 1 year 10 months by letters received in Chester Road 1 June 1711 to 25 March 1713	1,092	2	11
received of the Letter carriers for letters short taxed	0	14	9
received for the port of expresses	130	16	0
received for expresses sent to London	130	14	3
received from an unknown hand for having (as is supposed) defrauded the Queen of so much in postage	0	5	0
received of John Hague for letters sent to Croydon from London 24 June 1711 to 2 Feb. 1711–12	78	0	2
received of Joseph Quash of Exeter for the Cross-Road 25 March 1712 to 13 Feb. 1712–13 at 700l. per an. and for the additional 1d. per letter from 1 June 1711 to 13 Feb. 1712–13	2,427	12	4
Edmond Green for letters to Isleworth, Enfield, Grays, Croyden, Richmondsworth, Uxbridge and Southall formerly belonging to the Penny Post Office but more than 10 miles distant therefrom, Midsummer 1711 to Midsummer 1712	606	4	5
total for the Inland Office				142,910	16	5
in the North British Office [of the General Post Office]:
profits of the Scotch Office, Midsummer quarter 1712	758	11	9
ditto, Michaelmas quarter 1712	778	10	5
ditto, Xmas quarter 1712	686	18	7
ditto, Ladyday quarter 1713	729	19	10
total, as by the Accompts of George Maine, Deputy Postmaster of Scotland, and attested by the Accomptant General				2,954	0	7
in the Irish Office [of the General Post Office]:
profits of the Irish Office; half year to 29 Sept. 1712	5,661	11	7
ditto; half year to 25 March 1713	5,925	12	4
total for the Irish Office				11,587	3	11
total for the General Post Office 192, 765l. 3s. 3d.
revenue and profits of the Penny Post Office, 25 March 1712 to 25 March 1713:
for the produce of 753, 221 letters at 1d. a letter	3,138	8	5
the produce of the second 1d. for 65,405 letters taken in by the Letter-receivers in London and directed and delivered to persons in the country	272	10	5
the produce of 51,432 letters taken in by six several Penny Post Offices at 1d. each	214	6	0
total as sworn by Edmund Green, Collector, and Nathaniel Colling, Accomptant, and attested by the Postmaster General				3,625	4	10
overpays due at Ladyday 1713:
Capt. Justinian Hooper of	239	0	4
John Goodman of Ockhampton	24	2	7
James Prideaux of Camelford	20	0	2
John Smith of Bodmin	5	16	10
Blith Hagcroft of St. Columb	5	13	5
Lucy Downes of Hertford-bridge	29	4	3
John Beauchamp of Staines	13	8	7
Richard Harrison of Caxton	8	5	10
John Foxcroft of Enfield	17	2	7
Edward Lock of Hownslow	10	11	5
John Powell of Cyrencester	12	11	5
Richard Willington of the Hey	6	0	7
Margaret Griffith of Llanndefry	3	0	8
John Eliot of Habiston	0	7	11
James Callow of Tenbigh	3	5	8
Samuel Coats of Pickadilly	24	3	6
Maurice Owen of Holy-head	33	11	4
Margaret Buckley of Beaumaris	23	0	4
John Draper of Conway	12	2	2
John Wickins of Towcester	0	12	10
John Mercer of Oldstreet	15	0	0
John Atkinson of Whitechappell	16	13	6
George Palmer of Halston	2	17	1
Mary Gardner of Southwark	11	5	0
Joseph Durden of Falmouth	665	0	3
Monsieur Richards of Paris	2,633	18	9
				3,836	17	0
total charge and receipts (viz. arrears 72,273l. 14s. 3d., General Letter Office receipts 192,765l. 3s. 3d., Penny Post Office receipts 3,625l. 4s. 10d. and overpays 3,836l. 17s. 0d.)				£272,500	19	4
Discharge.
Money due to several Postmasters etc. for the balances of their previous Accompts				2,991	12	1
abatements out of the General Charge and Revenue of the Post Office:
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 persons in the country, whereby the growing duty in those parts is increased, and likewise charged on the Deputy Postmasters (Foreign Office 3,870l. 3s. 8d., Inland Office 8,207l. 12s. 5d.)	12,077	16	1
letters charged on several Postmasters etc., brought back to the Post Office as the addressees could not be found	2,391	12	5
her Majesty's letters and those of Members of Parliament, brought and delivered free	19,820	1	10
foreign letters and packets, enclosing bills of exchange, etc., excepted by Act of Parliament and for errors, abatements and overtaxed letters	662	10	1
				34,952	0	5
salaries, pensions and other payments out of the Revenue of the General Post Office:
salaries: including Sir Thomas Frankland and John Evelyn, Postmasters General at 1,000l. per an. each; Edward Hasley, Auditor, 260l.; Stephen Lilly, Receiver General, 300l.; George Searl, Accomptant, 300l.; Arnold Biby, Comptroller of the Inland Office, 200l.; Benjamin Waterhouse, Secretary, 200l.; Richard Swift, Solicitor, 200l.; the clerks of the several Roads (named); Ashburnham Froud, Comptroller of the Foreign Office, 150l.; window-men, sorters, clerks, letter receivers etc.; the several Postmasters, detailed at length, 13,194l. 19s. 4d.				21,496	15	0
annuities and pensions:
the Dukes of Northumberland and Grafton	4,700	0	0
Henry, Earl of Rochester	4,000	0	0
the Duke of Schonberg	4,000	0	0
John, Duke of Marlborough	5,000	0	0
Simon, Lord Harcourt, Lord Keeper	4,000	0	0
Thomas, Duke of Leeds	1,375	0	0
Guy Palmes	750	0	0
the Professors of the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow	420	0	0
				24,245	0	0
Court Post:
Henry Andrews, for carrying Royal letters etc. between the Court and the First Post Stage				366	0	0
charges of Expresses:
Midsummer quarter 1712	369	8	10
Michaelmas quarter, 1712	420	2	4
Xmas quarter, 1712	260	11	10
Ladyday quarter 1713	369	5	8
				1,419	8	8
charges of the packet boats:
Capt. Phillipson, for sundry charges of the Harwich packet boats (the Marlborough, the Eagle, the Dispatch, the Dolphin, the Prince packet boats; hire of fishing boats; Mr. Haslefoot, chirurgeon; Capt. Phillipson's own salary, 150l.)	5,211	8	9
Joseph Durden etc., for charges of the Lisbon packet boats (the Expedition, the Mercury, the Union, the Dispatch; the Queen; the King William; the Resolution; Mr. Code, surgeon; Mr. Durden's own salary 150l.)	11,260	13	6
Sarah Buggins for stores for the Queen packet boat; Ralph Richardson for inspecting work on the Queen; Mr. Hunt for guns for the Mayflower	55	8	0
John Mead, for hire of the Resolution employed in the Lisbon correspondence	540	0	0
John Mackay for disbursements on the Ostend packet boats and for his own salary of 150l.	2,376	16	4
Mrs. Ann Rogers, for money paid Mr. Durden of Falmouth	1,001	0	0
hire of the Swallow packet boat for Lisbon; 21 July 1711 to 25 Jan. 1711–12; and paid Mrs. Rogers for three boats thrown overboard when chased by privateers to preserve the mails and for damage done to the hull of the Swallow	260	18	4
				20,706	4	11
incident charges, detailed at length				3,273	2	9
allowances of various natures:
John Caulfield, agent at Lisbon, for so much allowed John Duarta de Costa and for exchange of milreas	290	19	11
John Browne, late ditto, for exchange	49	1	5
John and Samuel Traverse, for the redemption and charges of the Anne packet boat taken by the French on the station between Holyhead and Dublin and for the ransom of the
Pembroke packet boat taken by the French on the Irish station and afterwards re-taken by the Dutch and carried into Zealand	234	8	10
the several farmers for their trouble and expense in their Branches at 10 per cent. for a year to 25 March 1713	1,253	15	5
John Six of Amsterdam for his moiety of frank letters conveyed from Hamborough and the Northern Crowns and Italy	1,074	8	10
the same for his moiety of French letters conveyed from Amsterdam; half year to Ladyday 1713	258	12	8
Thomas Reynell of Chester; for collecting by-letters from 1 June 1711 to 25 March 1713	448	12	8
Edmond Green, for collecting and carrying letters for Isleworth, Enfield, Grays, Richmondsworth, Uxbridge, and Southall, formerly belonging to the Penny Post Office, detailed	365	6	9
John Hague of Croyden, for collecting letters there, etc.	52	11	9
				4,027	18	3
George Maine, Deputy Postmaster, for the charges of the Scotch Office, detailed				2,730	0	0
Isaac Manley, Deputy Postmaster at Dublin in Ireland, for the charges of the Irish Office, detailed				10,118	16	11
money paid into the Exchequer at several times, detailed				70,192	9	10
total payments out of the Revenue of the General Post Office as above 158,575l. 16s. 4d.
charges of the Penny Post Office:
salaries and wages (Nathaniel Castleton, Comptroller, 200l.; Edmond Green, Collector, 70l.; Nathaniel Golling, AcComptant, 70l.; Joshua Baker, Comptroller's clerk, 30l.; six sorters, eight subsorters, 62 messengers)	2,118	17	9
rents (the Chief Office, 60l.; the Westminster Office 14l.; the Temple Office, 10l.; St. Paul's Office, 10l.; Southwark Office, 10l.; the Hermitage Office, 10l.; the Exchange House, 1l. 10s.)	117	10	0
incidents, detailed	(fn. 2) 474	12	6
several Letter-receivers for the tenths of
letters allowed them	313	16	10
the value of letters returned	3	14	8
Officers' taxes	110	0	0
				3,138	11	9
total payments and allowances				£199,658	0	7
and so remains				72,842	18	9
against which depending in super:
arrears due at Ladyday 1685, detailed				2,125	6	0
upon several Postmasters, detailed at length				67,898	8	11
arrears of the Penny Post, ditto				2,147	9	9
arrears due from several other persons [as in the previous Accompt]				671	14	1
total supers				£72,842	18	9
and so this Accompt of the Revenue of the General and Penny Post Office is even and Quit.
Memorandum.—In pursuance of the Act 20 Car. 2 [19 and 20 Car. II, c. 7] the several Receivers and Postmasters abovementioned are chargeable with damages at 12l. per cent. per an. for the respective sums received by them and remaining in their hands and here noted that the same may be charged on them by the Court of Exchequer.
Declared 11 August 1715.