This series relates to the postal draft system from its inception in 1912 until it ceased in 1969 with the introduction of Girobank services. It comprises correspondence between the Post Office and government departments, committee minutes, reports, and specimens of postal drafts.
Sem títuloPOST 2 comprises the Receiver General's monthly record of all money received and expended on a monthly or quarterly basis by the Post Office. However, POST 2/107-112, covering the Bye and Cross Road Letter Office, contain quarterly accounts only. Subject, place and name indexes are included in POST 2/1-44, covering 1677-1748, although they are not contemporary compilations. Dates on volumes prior to 1752 have been revised in the catalogue to conform to the modern Gregorian calendar.
Sem títuloThis series relates to the transmission of newspapers by post and comprises records relating to the franking privilege of the Clerks of the Road, the transmission of newspapers overseas, and the postage rates of Newspaper Post. The majority of the class consists of published lists of newspapers registered at the Post Office for transmission under the Newspaper Post, (POST 24/21 - 24/72). Also included are items relating to the introduction of a rural newspaper delivery service in the 1970s.
Sem títuloThis series contains historical accounts, annual, financial and other reports, letter copy books, minutes and correspondence on the establishment, operation and development of the money order and postal order services. The series also contains records on the prevention and detection of fraud, the use of postal orders as currency in wartime, and information on agreements with other Empire or Commonwealth countries for the sale of British postal or money orders in their territories.
Sem títuloThis series comprises material relating to Post Office services supplementary to the core activity of the business. It consists of reports, minutes, correspondence and memoranda relating to the introduction, operation and development of individual Post Office ancillary services, their profit and expenditure, recommended improvements and alterations, and information sheets and guides to the services.
Contains some pieces originally in POST 22.
Sem títuloThe Packet Minute series (POST 29 and 34) comprise minutes to the Postmaster General from the Secretary to the Post Office, on the Packet Boat and overseas mails services. It began in 1811, at which date those subjects were transferred from the Postmaster General's Minute series (POST 30 and 35).
POST 29 consists of volumes containing a copy of, or reference to, every minute submitted to the Postmaster General, including those which have since been destroyed. POST 34/1 - 105 are indexed. The Postmaster General's decision on each case is also recorded. POST 29 consists of those actual papers which are still in existence (comprising both the original minute to the Postmaster General and the papers leading up to, and following from, the Secretary's submission). It has been produced in two versions, one numerical and the other alphabetical, i.e., set out under subject headings. When requisitioning papers, both the catalogue reference Nos. and the Minute No. should be quoted, e.g., POST 29/4, Pkt 203B/1314.
For details of how this class relates to the other report and minute classes, see the following section 'Related Material'.
Sem títuloThis series comprises 'minuted' papers relating to Ireland for the period 1841 to 1960. 'Minuted' papers were those papers which had been submitted to the Postmaster General for a decision, and then been retained in the Post Office registry. At first, the papers 'minuted' tended only to be the particular case submitted to the Postmaster General but, as time went on, registry staff followed a practice of continuing to add physically to an existing minuted case all other cases on that subject which came to hand. As a result, the minuted papers frequently consist of quite large bundles of files on a common subject spanning many years. The date range of the files is consequently often much earlier or much later than the date suggested by the 'Former Reference' used by the registry staff and, in many cases, the precise dates covered by the files have not yet been listed. The subject of individual files among the minuted papers can be wide-ranging, from the mundane administrative minutiae to policy decisions on developments of critical importance.
Sem títuloThis series comprises 'minuted' papers relating to all manner of Post Office matters.
'Minuted' papers were those papers which had been submitted to the Postmaster General for a decision, and then been retained in the Post Office registry. At first, the papers 'minuted' tended only to be the particular case submitted to the Postmaster General but, as time went on, registry staff followed a practice of continuing to add physically to an existing minuted case all other cases on that subject which came to hand. As a result, the minuted papers frequently consist of quite large bundles of files on a common subject spanning many years. The date range of the files is consequently often much earlier or much later than the date suggested by the 'Former Reference' used by the registry staff and, in many cases, the precise dates covered by the files have not yet been listed. The subject of individual files among the minuted papers can be wide-ranging, from the mundane administrative minutiae to policy decisions on developments of critical importance.
Sem títuloThis record series comprises memoranda, letters and reports on the establishment and operation of the Foreign and Colonial Parcel Post, and agreements between the Post Office of the United Kingdom, and foreign postal authorities and shipping companies. It also includes papers relating to 1970s and 1980s overseas parcel services.
Sem títuloPOST 5 comprises a series of quarterly accounts of warrants issued by the Treasury authorising payment, by the Receiver General, of incident bills incurred by the General, Twopenny and London District Post Offices (the Twopenny Post was replaced by the London District Post in 1844).
Accounts cover a wide variety of items and are arranged under general subject headings, such as 'pensions', 'packets', 'tradesmen' and 'rents'. Entries include the date of issue of warrant, what or whom it is for, date payment is due and the amount. Volumes are indexed by person, subject and place. Warrants are mainly for payments of:
· Pensions, salaries and allowances to chief and senior officers, clerks, sorters, messengers and servants working in the London headquarters departments, including offices of the Secretary and Accountant General, and the Foreign, Inland, Express, Mail Coach, Dead Letter and Ship Letter offices; packet agents; surveyors; postmasters; inspectors of mails, letter receivers and carriers and packet ships; commanders and mates of packet ships, or their widows; letter receivers and carriers in London; and mail guards
· Expenses for mail conveyance by sea, including costs incurred by packet ships operating from Falmouth, Harwich, Dover, Whitehaven, Donaghadee, Weymouth, Milford Haven and Holyhead, and in the West and East Indies, notably hire charges, lighting dues, wages and victualling for captains, officers and crew whilst at sea, out of employ or while the ship is undergoing repairs; and ship letter mails
· Expenses for inland mail conveyance, notably for payments to mail coach contractors; road, bridge and ferry tolls; supply and upkeep of fire arms, time pieces, mail bags and mail guards uniforms; mail coach maintenance; and railway and steam packet company charges
· Compensation for abolished offices or duties
· Tradesmen's bills for items supplied or work done
· Legal expenses, notably relating to investigation, detection, capture and trial of felons
· Rents, taxes and rates for offices in London
· stationery printing costs
· Transit postage and tonnage dues to foreign post offices
· Travelling expenses, particularly surveyors'
· Advances or loans (covered by imprest warrants) to employees, particularly seamen.
*There are no indications whether or not POST 5/1-3 include warrants relating to the Twopenny Post Office.
Sem títuloThis series contains material on the recruitment of Post Office staff. It covers methods of recruitment, the examinations involved, the various types of posts, the different methods of admission, and the problems encountered regarding recruitment, such as shortage of labour and the employment of disabled persons.
Sem títuloThis series contains records relating to the nomination and appointment of staff, both Established and non-Established. It consists mainly of volumes, in which vacancies, nominations, and appointments were recorded. It also contains records relating to bonds paid, and papers relating to the appointment of specific individuals.
Prior to 1831 appointment records were not kept uniformly over the country and separate series were created. In 1831 centralised employment records were created by copying the relevant minute numbers and brief details relating to appointment, transfer, dismissal, resignation, retirement, or death.
Some records were transferred from POST 14.
Sem títuloThis series comprises material relating to the formation, functions and administration of Post Office Staff Associations.
Sem títuloThis POST class comprises papers and copy minutes of the Post Office Board (1934-[1992]), the Post Office Management Board (1970-1979), and the Posts and Girobank Board (1980-1981). The signed minutes of the main Post Office Board are included, 1969-1972.
This POST class also includes papers of subsidiary boards and committees established by the board, or whose papers and minutes were received by the Board. These include the Girobank Board, Parcels Business Board, Post Office Finance Limited Board, the Post Office Board Emergency Committee, the National Joint Policy Council, the Managing Director's Committee: Posts, the Chairman's Executive Committee, the Post Office Executive Committee, the Girobank and Counters Committee, the Audit Committee, the Counters Executive Committee, the Major Projects Expenditure Committee, the Royal Mail Executive Committee, the Letters Management Committee, the Corporate Identitity and design Committee, the Counter Automation Management Committee and ad hoc committees established by the board.
Sem títuloThis series consists of reports, memoranda and accounts relating to the organisation, structure, functions and operations of Post Office factories and the Factories Department.
Sem títuloThis series consists of records of the Public Accounts Audit Commissioners' checks on GPO annual accounts and the Accountant General's checks on accounts received from agents and postmasters in the first half of the 19th century. Also included are various reports and other papers relating to financial systems, methods of accounting and collecting, collating and presenting business statistics in the Post Office.
Sem títuloThis series consists of a collection of licences, concessions, agreements, treaties, conventions and conferences, correspondence and memoranda between foreign governments negotiating landing rights, maintenance and operation of submarine cable telegraphs; ocean survey reports as well as other reports by officers in the General Post Office and committee reports.
Sem títuloIncludes papers of the Sykes, Crawford, Selsdon, Ullswater and Beveridge broadcasting committees. Also includes reports of the Television Advisory Committees and correspondence and papers relating to the technical aspects of broadcasting. Also contains reports relating to licensing and licence evasion.
Sem títuloPrivate papers of John Palmer, Surveyor and Comptroller General of Mails 1786-1792. Palmer was responsible for the introduction of the mail coach service. He submitted his plans for the service and changes in franking and postage to William Pitt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Disputes over the service and over his dismissal of his deputy resulted in his suspension and dismissal from duty in 1792. He received a pension but fought for a claim of the percentage and no settlement was agreed until 1813. The papers include a collection of pamphlets and reports concerning a dispute with his deputy and claims for percentage of revenue, surveyor's and deputy surveyor's minutes for matters of the day; letters, reports and memoranda on foreign posts and packet boat services, postal reforms, mail coach services, staff, establishments, revenue, accounts and various city freedoms awarded to John Palmer. Some of the sources are indexed.
Sem títuloThis series consists of correspondence between the Marquess of Salisbury, Postmaster General, and Francis Freeling, Secretary of The Post Office, and mainly unnamed individuals. Subjects covered include staff appointments, the establishment and implementation of new Post Office services, letter traffic, the operation of services and instructions to staff.
Sem títuloPre-reformation papers and papers of the English Secular Clergy, 1501-1688 and papers of the Vicars Apostolic of the London District, 1688-1847.
The papers chiefly comprise correspondence with the Roman agent; papers relating to Synods; copies of Pastorals; correspondence with Vicars Apostolic and clergy from the Western, Midland and Northern Districts and Scotland; correspondence with Irish Bishops; correspondence with institutions of the English Catholic diaspora; correspondence with Bishops and clergy abroad notably with the Catholic Church in the British colonies; legal papers including wills, bequests, leases and trusts and papers of institutions of the English Catholic diaspora including Douai College, 1652-1789; St Omers College, 1762-1772; the English College Rome, 1701-1783; the English College Lisbon, 1708-1791; the English Seminary Paris (also known as St Gregory's, Paris), 1762-1777 and student register for the English College Lisbon, 1628-1715.
The papers of the Vicars Apostolic of the London District include papers from the episcopacy of Bishop John Leyburn, 1688-1702, Bishop Bonaventure Giffard, 1703-1734; Bishop Benjamin Petre, 1734-1758; Bishop Richard Challoner, 1758-1781; Bishop James Robert Talbot, 1781-1789; Bishop John Douglass, 1791-1798; Bishop William Poynter, 1812-1827; Bishop James Yorke Bramston, 1828-1836 and Bishop Thomas Griffiths, 1836-1847.
Highlights of the collection include: a consultation about the dowry of Catherine of Aragon, c 1509; copy of a letter from Mary Queen of Scots, c 1586; letter from St Henry Walpole to Father Persons, 13 Nov 1593; chart of the Royal succession down to James VI of Scotland as published in Father Persons' book on the succession, 1593; letters of Cardinal William Allen; letter from Father Henry Garnet relating to the Gunpowder Plot, c 1605 and a petition from the Citizens of London to Charles I complaining about Popery, 1640.
Sem títuloPapers of St Gregory's, Paris, (the Paris Seminary), 1701-1782 and an account of the English Mission by Bishop Edward Dicconson, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, [c 1741-1752].
Sem títuloManuscript treatises and follows:
F 1: 'Annales Elizabethae Reginae', by Anthony Champney, 1558-1603. 1 vol. Latin.
F 3: Declaration of the Vicars Apostolic and their Coadjutors in Great Britain in defense of the Catholic faith, 1826. 1 vol. English.
F 4: Treatise from regular leaders (Jesuits or Benedictines) of England, against Richard Smith, Bishop of Chalcedon as part of the approbation controversy entitled 'A survey of the Answere to the Bishop of Chalcedon his letter to the lay Catholics of England sent to him by the heads of three regular orders in England', 1629. 1 vol. English.
F 5: De quimdecim gloriosis Anglia martyribus breuis historia,
ab Henrico Stilo Benedictino, ex Anglico sermone, in Lamu translate, ex me'I ciori ordine collocate.Pro verae virtutis preniys, falsisceleris poenas subimus.
Gislenpopoli. 1 vol. Latin.
F 6: Sixteenth century Commonplace book concerning the reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries. 1 vol. Latin.
F 7: Volume of additions to Charles Butler's Historical Memoirs of the English, Irish and Scottish Roman Catholics, given to the Vicar Apostolic of the London District by Butler, 1822. 1 vol. English.
F 8: Partial transcript of B28: Volume of contemporary catalogues of the English martyrs, 17th century.
F 9: Transcriptions of manuscripts in Series A comprising:
Transcription of 'Collectanea B' or 'Collectanea de martyribus', the collection of Father Christopher Greene, chiefly containing correspondence between Richard Verstegen and Father Person's, 1592-1594. This collection is no longer in the possession of the Westminster Diocesan Archives as it was exchanged with Stonyhurst College in 1921.
Transcription of Shelly's supplication to Queen Elizabeth I, 1585, in Series A, volume 4, p 33.
Transcriptions of papers relating to martyrs from Series A.
F 10: Transcriptions of papers relating to martyrs from Series A. 1 file.
F11-F17: Biographical notes on priests in penal times by Canon Edward Burton, arranged alphabetically. 7 boxes. English.
F18-19: Theological treatises by Jos[eph] Stapleton, eighteenth century. 2 vols. Latin.
F 20: Sermon notes on the Resurrection and other topics. 1 vol. English.
F 21: Two unbound manuscripts: 'The origin, distinction and mutual independence of the Civil and Ecclesiastical Power' by Bishop William Poynter, and 'The Contemplative Solitaire and Spiritual Guide' by Father George of St Joseph. 2 items. English.
Sem títuloThis series contains correspondence, memoranda and extracts from minutes concerning signalling apparatus on railways; the installation of clocks and telephone lines; lighting at yards, depots, bridges and stations; and lighting restrictions during World War Two.
Sem títuloThis series contains memoranda and extracts from minutes concerning improvements to rolling stock, failures and delays, the replacement of vehicles, new equipment and facilities, expenditure on modernisation, and the investigation and testing of equipment.
Sem títuloThis series contains correspondence, memoranda and extracts from minutes concerning current supplies for railways, modifications to Lots Road Power Station, the construction and improvement of substations, the installation of apparatus and electrical interference with broadcasting.
Sem títuloThis series contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes and reports concerning the railway including details of the development of stations, accidents, the rates of pay and conditions of service for staff, safety and maintenance matters, air raid precautions, the electrification of the railway and the letting of land and properties. Also contains accounts including details of revenue receipts and expenditure.
Sem títuloThis series contains correspondence and memoranda concerning proposed extensions of the Underground, maintenance of the railway, failures and delays, the provision of trains and working expenses. Includes a map showing the existing railway and proposed extensions.
Sem títuloThis series contains correspondence, memoranda and notes concerning new works and improvements to the railway including details of proposed extensions and subways.
Sem títuloThis series contains correspondence and memoranda concerning the construction, alteration and enlargement of garages including details of the installation of equipment and the purchase of garages and land.
Sem títuloThis series contains memoranda and extracts from minutes concerning the construction of new garages, the installation of new equipment and the extension of existing garages.
Sem títuloThis series contains memoranda and extracts from minutes concerning general maintenance including details of the cleaning of vehicles and buildings, the renovation of premises and defects on railways and buses.
Sem títuloThis series contains memoranda and extracts from minutes concerning the establishment of the LPTB including details of banking arrangements, the appointment of members, transport services consented to by the Board and inspections of some of the Board's properties. Also includes an outline of the London Passenger Transport Act of 1933.
Sem títuloThis series contains minutes and extracts from Board meetings and special committee meetings of the Vice-Chairman. Also included are notes of Traffic Committee meetings including details of receipt statements, train failures and delays, drivers' and conductors' wages analyses, forms of tickets on buses and trams, staff disciplinary returns, garage costs, street accidents recorded by the Metropolitan Police and the use of commercial advertising on London Passenger Transport Board's premises.
Sem títuloThis series contains tests, drawings and photographs of railway rolling stock, including details of the surface lines of rolling stock replacement programmes, a proposed rolling stock programme for the District, Circle and Metropolitan Lines, Chairman's conference minutes including financial details, National Service for staff, matters approved by the Chairman for submission to the Board, Special Expenditure Requisitions (SERs), air raid precautions, engineering first class traffic, the standardisation of signs, a station proficiency competition and emergency measures on railways.
Sem títuloEight pencil drawings and watercolour paintings of geological features around Cromarty and Assynt, in the Highlands of Scotland, by Charles Henry Lardner WOODD, August 1847.
Sem títuloVarious papers relating to the search for coal and oil in the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire area of the Midlands between 1900 and 1926, and the presence of oil in England more widely. They include maps, correspondence, reports, proofs of articles and publicity literature, legal documents, and newscuttings.
They mostly cover the period from 1911 to 1919, and relate to the discovery of oil in August 1911 at Kelham, Nottinghamshire, with one file covering a later peiod (1920s) and focusing on coal borings in Lincolnshire.
Sem títuloTwo scrapbooks of documents, newspaper cuttings and photos collected by Sir Jethro Justinian Harris Teall and his wife Harriet, 1876-1926.
Many items relate to Teall's life, with events including his honorary degrees, lectures he gave, dinners he attended, and invitations to occasions such as the funeral of Edward VII and the coronation of George V. There is also a great deal of material relating to his younger son Frederick Teall, particularly his time in the Cambridge University Athletic Club and his subsequent career in the Egyptian civil service and participation in tennis tournaments in Cairo. There are a few items relating to Teall's wife, Harriet, and his elder son, George Teall, who was in the army.
The first volume mostly dates from Teall's time as director of the Geological Survey, while the second relates to the latter part of Teall's directorship of the Geological Survey and his subsequent retirement activities.
Sem títuloNine black and white photographs showing the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Pelée, Martinique, in 1902. Six of the photographs are of the town of Saint-Pierre. Also, manuscript sections of the volcano showing the various stages of the eruption, November 1902-October 1904, by Major W M Hodder, Royal Engineers, 27 October 1904.
Sem títuloPapers of Miss Etheldred BENETT, comprising:
Large ink drawing of a fossil alcyonium, [1814-1817]; Bound volume, 'Sketches of fossil Alcyonia from the Green Sand Formation at Warminster Common and in the immediate vicinity of Wiltshire', 1816; Watercolour painting of a meteorite that fell in County Limerick in September 1813, [1825].
Sem títuloPapers of Adam Sedgwick, 1816 and 1843-1854, comprising:
Two notebooks from Sedgwick's tour through the continent of Europe, June-September 1816; manuscripts of Sedgwick's papers, mostly on the geology of Wales, which were read and later published by the Society, 1843-1854.
Sem título'Scotland coloured according to the rock formations', by Louis Albert Necker, [1808]. Geological colouring on base map 'North Britain or Scotland divided into its Counties, corrected from the best surveys and astronomical observations by Thomas Kitchin', published by William Faden, 1 December 1778. Dissected on cloth.
Sem títuloScientific and general correspondence addressed to Thomas George Bonney, written between 1858 and 1919. There are 68 letters from 38 correspondents, some of them notable scientific figures such as: Sir Charles Lyell; William Thomson, Lord Kelvin; Joseph Lister; Adam Sedgwick and William Sollas.
Sem títuloBlack and white albumen photographs of the Pleistocene geology of Malta, 1893-[1894], which accompanied a paper by John Henry Cooke.
Sem títuloThis series contains records relating to the transportation of mails by road (mail coaches in particular) but also includes material on the early use of railways. Some reference to steam packets is also contained in this series.
Sem títuloThis series of records comprises the private office papers of Rowland Hill including, Rowland Hill's Post Office Journals, extracts from the volumes of Secretary's minutes to the Postmaster General and some original documentation relating to those minutes, volumes of Rowland Hill's minutes to the Postmaster General, correspondence and general material relating particularly to postal reform and including a copy of all volumes of 'History of Penny Postage' by Sir Rowland Hill, KCB (published by William Clowes & Sons).
Sem títuloThis class comprises Post Office headquarters files which, as a time saving wartime measure, were recorded under a Decimal Filing system, instead of the previously used 'Minuted' system. Like the minuted series, the files cover a diverse range of subjects and registry staff continued to add files to the series after it had nominally been closed in 1949: consequently, records date up to 1967. Subjects covered in the papers include inland and overseas telecommunications during and after wartime, the issue of stamps, and Post Office administrative records, such as those covering the introduction of the Decimal Filing system.
The Decimal Filing system was a simple system based on numbers being allocated to particular subjects or headings, with decimal extensions of these numbers being allocated to subheadings: e.g. 10 = Postal Packets, 100 = Letters (Ordinary). No record volumes were created for the Decimal Filing series; papers were filed in batches according to the common serial number allocated for a particular subject.
Sem títuloThis Class relates mainly to the railways but includes some material concerning conveyance of mail by mail coaches and steam ships.
Sem títuloWhen Stephen Tallents became GPO (General Post Office) Public Relations Manager in 1933, he decided to adopt the use of posters to carry information from the Post Office to the public. The bulk of POST 110 consists of over 6000 posters produced by the Post Office from the creation of its Public Relations Department in 1934 up to the present day.
Posters were initially produced for distribution to schools as an educational aid, or for display on mail vans, but soon the decision was taken to produce posters specifically designed to be displayed inside public offices; subject matter included public information and sales of philatelic items.
Posters for internal purposes were also produced by the Joint Production Council from the 1950s, these variously encouraged staff to be industrious, vigilant and to be thrifty.
Many well-known artists and designers have been commissioned by the Post Office (particularly in the 1930s-1950s) to produce posters. These artists include Peter Huveneers, Hans Schleger (Zero), Abram Games, Austin Cooper, Eric Fraser, Jan Lewitt, George Him, Tom Eckersley, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Harold Sandys Williamson, Frederic Henri Kay Henrion, Hans Arnold Rothholz, Ronald Searle and Barnett Freedman.
POST 110 also includes POPOS (Post Office Point of Sale) display instructions produced for branches, giving information on the display material they should obtain and display for particular periods. It also includes other publicity material such as leaflets and calendars.
There is an ongoing project to catalogue POST 110, with the main focus currently on the posters; there are 1,837 posters catalogued and available for viewing via our online catalogue, the majority of these records also include images of the posters.
Sem títuloThis series comprises reports, papers, presentations by postal IT staff, handbooks and user guides relating to the different aspects of data processing in the Post Office. Although automatic data processing (ADP) was first introduced to the Post Office on a large scale with the LEAPS system in 1958, POST 113 focuses on ADP in the Post Office from the 1960s onwards. It charts the process of the introduction and implementation of ADP and computer applications and systems to different areas of postal work in order to capture data, streamline postal operational processes and generally improve the daily running of the Post Office.
Examples of material include: a number of reports from the 1960s on new proposals to implement ADP and several files which provide background to: the planning and control of ADP in the Post Office (POST 113/5), the structure of the Computer Development and Office Services Department (POST 113/10) and details of the different computer hardware already in place by the 1960s (POST 113/11).
This series also contains information on the different computer applications and systems proposed and implemented within the Post Office, such as PIVOT (POST 113/23-POST 113/25) and reviews undertaken by the Post Office and external organisations to suggest improvements to existing systems (for example, POST 113/21). In addition, there are files covering the Mails Circulation Project (POST 113/33 and POST 113/34) and the Counter Automation Project (POST 113/38 and POST 113/40).
Finally, there is information on IT strategies within the Post Office and details of the work of the National Data Processing Service (see POST 113/37 for details on the considerations of data protection and computers).There are also examples of computer handbooks and user guides in POST 113/41, POST 113/42 and POST 113/43.
Sem título