Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1817-1852 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
6 volumes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Until 1969 the General Post Office was a government department and its expenditure was controlled by the Treasury. The Receiver General was an independent appointment, designed to remove all responsibilities for cash from the hands of the Postmaster General.
Archival history
GB 0813 POST 5 Series 1817-1852 Series 6 volumes
Until 1969 the General Post Office was a government department and its expenditure was controlled by the Treasury. The Receiver General was an independent appointment, designed to remove all responsibilities for cash from the hands of the Postmaster General.
Please contact the Archive for further information
POST 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.
Please see scope and content
Public Record
Please contact the Archive for further information.
English
Please contact the Archive for further information
See Post Class 6 for incident bills accounts of the General, Twopenny and London District Post Offices, 1766-1870. Much of the information in POST 5/1-6 can be matched up with that in POST 6/18-34, although the layout and arrangement of the accounts is slightly different in each series.
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Record amended by Barbara Ball
Compiled in compliance with General Internation Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G) second edition 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Entry checked June 2011 Social services Social security Pensions Finance Fees Rent Internal politics Political leadership Politicians Receiver Generals Accounts ledgers Accounts Financial records Documents Information sources Post Office
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Please contact the Archive for further information
Content and structure area
Scope and content
POST 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.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Please see scope and content
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Public Record
Conditions governing reproduction
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
See Post Class 6 for incident bills accounts of the General, Twopenny and London District Post Offices, 1766-1870. Much of the information in POST 5/1-6 can be matched up with that in POST 6/18-34, although the layout and arrangement of the accounts is slightly different in each series.
Finding aids
Please contact the Archive for further information
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General Internation Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G) second edition 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English