The book begins with an examination of the early postal establishment in Great Britain, tracing its transition from a royal communication network for the sovereign and state officials into an organized system for public use. The narrative details the reforms introduced by figures like Thomas Witherings, who established the first legal provisions for carrying private letters and laid the foundations for regular postal rates and routes.
As the postal system developed, it became a significant source of revenue and an instrument of taxation for the state. The text covers the implementation of the Post Office Act of 1711, the farming of cross and bye posts, and the operational improvements brought about by entrepreneurs like Ralph Allen and John Palmer with the introduction of mail coaches.
The administrative history highlights recurring struggles with monopoly, the clandestine opening of letters, and the pervasive corruption and sinecures that plagued the department until the sweeping parliamentary reforms of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The author also explores the extension of postal services to Ireland, Scotland, and the American colonies, noting the unique challenges each region presented.
The narrative addresses the integration of new technologies, detailing the transition from sailing packets to steam vessels and the eventual incorporation of railways into the mail-transport network. Financial aspects, including the steady escalation of postage rates to fund wartime expenditures, are thoroughly documented.
The work culminates in the adoption of inland penny postage in 1840 under the guidance of Sir Rowland Hill. This pivotal shift transformed the Post Office from a tax-collecting agency into an instrument of popular communication, paving the way for modern postal services, money orders, savings banks, and telecommunications.
