Declared Accounts 1707: Post Office

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 22, 1708. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1952.

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'Declared Accounts 1707: Post Office', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 22, 1708, (London, 1952) pp. cccxcv-cd. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol22/cccxcv-cd [accessed 25 April 2024]

Post Office

DECLARED ACCOUNTS: POST OFFICE (GENERAL LETTER OFFICE AND PENNY POST OFFICE).
PIPE OFFICE: ROLL 2779.
Stephen Lilly, Receiver General of the Post Office.
26 March 1706 to 25 March 1707.
Charge. £ s. d. £ s. d.
Arrears: remaining upon his last Accompt nil.
depending upon several persons for the balances of their Accompts ended at Ladyday 1685 2,125 6 0
depending upon divers Postmasters and others belonging to the General Letter Office for balance of their Accompts ended at Ladyday 1706 72,943 16 9
depending upon several persons belonging to the Penny Post Office at the same time 1,054 8 7½
and upon several other persons in arrear at the same time 671 14 1
76,795 5 5½
Revenue and profits of the General Post Office from 25 March 1706 to 25 March 1707:
in the Foreign Office:
for letters brought in by the mails, detailed by months 20,477 8 6
for letters to and from Lisbon, not in the mails 7,420 13 3
received of Mr. Kendrick Edisbury for the freight of passengers in the packet boats between Brill in Holland and Harwich for a year to Christmas 1706 845 16 3
received of Mr. Zachary Rogers of Falmouth for the freight of passengers in the packet boats to and from Lisbon, for letters to and from Lisbon and for old sails sold, subject to abatements for the victuals of seamen deserted or sick on shore 1,724 14 10
received of Francis Jones of Falmouth for freight of passengers and for letters in the Lisbon packets from 25 March 1704 to 12 Aug. 1705 and for an old hulk, etc., subject to abatements as above 1,242 5 2
received of Mr. Godbolt Muilman of Amsterdam by his Contract with the Lords Burgomasters there of 24 June 1677 for freight of goods and passengers between England and Amsterdam at 1,200l. per annum for a year to Ladyday 1707 1,200 0 0
total in the Foreign Office 32,910 18 0
Charge. £ s. d.
in the Inland Office:
money received for letters taken in at the windows 2,713 19 9
money received of the Letter Receivers 811 11 9
the Letter Carriers' charge, being unpaid letters sent up from the country 51,102 18 9
the Postmasters' charge, being letters sent them into the country 54,616 10 10
money due upon contracts with several Farmers:
Edward Hall of Rye, co. Sussex, farmer of the letters between London and Hastings and Battle in Sussex and adjacent parts in Kent 145 0 0
Matthew Stoughton and John Smith of Wellingborough, farmers of the letters between London and Sheffield, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Uppingham, Wooburne, Ampthill, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering, Rockingham, etc., in cos. Bedford and Buckingham 1,500 0 0
William Rawson and Sarah Wainwright, farmers of the letters between London and Ferrybridge and Tadcaster, Settle and Kirkby Lonsdale, etc. 1,400 0 0
Thomas Atwood of St. Neots, farmer of the letters between London and St. Neots, co. Huntingdon, Biggleswade, co. Bedford, Stevenage, Welling and Hatfield, co. Hertford 240 0 0
John Howlett of Thetford, co. Norfolk, farmer of the letters of Walsingham Branch, co. Suffolk 350 0 0
Henry Warren of Whitechapel, farmer of the letters between London and towns in Hertford, Essex, Suffolk and Cambridge 400 0 0
John Brett of Tonbridge, farmer of the letters between London and Kent 330 0 0
John Barnes of Chichester, farmer of the letters to and from Chichester, Arundel, Petworth, Hazlemere, Godalming, Guildford, Kingston, etc. 1,550 0 0
Richard Bigg of Buckingham, farmer of the letters between the City of London and 'Edgworth' [Edgware], Stanmore, Watford, Kings 'Henley' [Kings Langley], Hempsted, Berkhamsted, Buckingham, Chesham, 'Agmondisham' [Amersham], Great Marlow, Wendover, Banbury, Warwick and adjacent places 1,100 0 0
Joseph Quash of Exeter, farmer of the letters going by the cross-road between Exeter and Chester by Tiverton, Wellington, Taunton, Bridgwater, Wells, Bristol, 'Wooton Underidge,'Gloucester,Tewkesbury, Worcester, Kidderminster, Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch (total upon contracts with the farmers of letters 7,615l.) 600 0 0
Charge. £ s. d. £ s. d.
way letters taken in at one stage and delivered out at another, farmed to divers Postmasters:
John Stuckley of Plymouth 230 0 0
Mark Hayman of Dartmouth 20 0 0
James Buckley of Totnes 10 0 0
Joseph Quash of Exeter 100 0 0
Ann Woolfreys of Blandford 3 0 0
Charles Coven of Dorchester 6 0 0
William Waterman of Salisbury 4 0 0
John Gayton of Portsmouth 7 0 0
Robert Rodham 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 Northallerton 9 0 0
Catherine Dawson of York 40 0 0
Barbara Thwaites of 'Grethabridge' [Greta Bridge] 2 0 0
Richard Gowland of Boroughbridge 5 0 0
Elizabeth Engles of Hull 50 0 0
Jane Hardwick of Beverley 4 0 0
Samuel Smith of Bawtry 4 0 0
John Herring of Newark 5 0 0
John Sharp of Grantham 5 0 0
John Ward of Boston 20 0 0
John Rishton of Spalding 10 0 0
Edward Tinkerson of Peterborough 1 0 0
John Exton of Lynn 20 0 0
Jonathan Bens of Halstone 10 0 0
Benjamin Bigg for the by-letters in Chester Road 160 0 0
(total for the way letters 774l.)
money received for the Scotch Secretary's letters and packets between London and Berwick 69 15 0
ditto from Isaac Manley, Manager of the Letter Office in Dublin, for letters sent him from Chester within the time of this Accompt 381 1 10
more received of him for letters sent him from Holyhead in the same time 16 15 6
money received of Mr. Godbolt Muilman of Amsterdam for the port of ship letters directed for Holland 21 2 3
money received of several persons for the port of expresses 70 13 0
and of several letter receivers for letters short-taxed this year 0 17 3
total in the Inland Office 118,194 5 11
in the Irish Office:
money arising from the profits of the Irish Office in the half year ended 29 Sept. 1706 4,902 10 8
the like for the half year ended 25 March 1707 5,640 13 3
total for the Irish Office 10,543 3 11
the full produce of the General Post Office 161,648 7 10
Revenue and profits of the Penny Post Office from 25 March 1706 to 25 March 1707:
for 981,256 letters at 1d. a letter taken in by the Officers of the Penny Post 4,088 11 4
for 37,153 letters at 1d. each taken in at the several Penny Post Offices 154 16 1
and for the profits of the second penny for 93,439 letters taken in by the Letter Receivers in London and directed to and delivered in the country 389 6 7
4,632 14 0
Overpayments: money due and payable to several Postmasters and others being the balances of their respective Accompts:
Charles Blight of Launceston 16 5 11
Joseph Warkman of Ashburton 0 13 7
Joseph Quash of Exeter 141 3 3
Edward Downes of Hartford Bridge 40 14 7
John Beachamp of Staines 31 8 4
Grace Carr of Belford 13 17 2
Richard Gowland of Boroughbridge 8 11 3
William Wimberley of Postwitham 0 3 10
Richard Dixon of Bourn 18 12 8
John Fox of Stilton 1 11 3
Richard Harrison of Caxton 9 8 3
John Smith of Royston 5 1 5
Mary Collins of Bath 2 6 5
Edward Lock of Hounslow 10 4 2
Richard Wellington of the Hay 1 19 0
Margaret Griffith of Llanindiffry 4 3 10
Samuel Johnson of 'Pickadilly' 33 15 0
Maurice Owen of Holyhead 8 9 3
Margaret Bulkley of Beaumaris 7 19 5
John Draper of Conway 5 18 0
Francis Roberts of Barnet 8 5 9
John Messer of Old Street 15 0 0
William Gardner of Southwark 11 5 0
Monsieur Richards of Paris 2,633 18 9
Zachary Rogers of Falmouth 1,499 6 7
Kendrick Edisbury of Harwich 605 13 7
5,135 16 3
money received in part of the debt formerly due from Ralph Blackhall and John Williams, late Receivers of the Penny Post Office 618 5 0
Total charge and receipts £248,830 8 6½
Discharge. £ s. d.
Abatements out of the General Charge:
the 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 in those parts is increased and likewise charged on the Deputy Postmasters 11,113 7 11
letters sent up to the General Post Office by the several persons who farmed the same at the yearly rents charged in this Accompt for that they are doubly charged to her Majesty's Accompt 5,108 8 3
Discharge. £ s. d. £ s. d.
letters and packets of her Majesty and Members of Parliament delivered free, viz.: her Majesty 11,378l. 12s. 3d., Members of Parliament 402l. 8s. 8d. 11,781 0 11
letters herein charged on several Postmasters and Letter Carryers which were brought back to the Post as the addressees could not be found 1,657 6 4
foreign letters and packets wherein were inclosed bills of exchange, merchants' accompts, bills of lading, etc., exempted by Act of Parliament, and for errors, abatements and overtaxed letters allowed Postmasters 571 13 1
total abatements 30,231 16 6
money due to several Postmasters and others for the balances on their Accompts to Ladyday 1706 3,016 10 10
payments for salaries, pensions, charges of expresses, packet-boats, etc.:
salaries, detailed:
Sir Robert Cotton and Sir Thomas Frankland, kts., Postmasters General, at 750l. each; Edward Harley, Auditor, 200l.; George Searle, Accomptant 300l.; Stephen Lilly, Receiver General 300l.; the Inland Office [total 2,150l.]; the Foreign Office [total 3,241l. 155. 8d.]; several Postmasters, detailed, 8,200l. 9s. 6d. 15,892 5 2
annuities and pensions:
H.R.H. Prince George of Denmark for pension 25,000 0 0
the Duke of Marlborough ditto 5,000 0 0
the Duke of Leeds ditto 3,500 0 0
the Duke of Schombergh ditto 5,000 0 0
the Duchess of Cleveland ditto 5,025 0 0
the Earl of Rochester ditto 4,000 0 0
the Earl of Rochford ditto 1,000 0 0
Lord Cowper, Lord Chancellor, ditto 4,000 0 0
Guy Palmes, Esq., ditto 1,000 0 0
Charles Osborne, Esq., ditto 200 0 0
William Brockett ditto 600 0 0
Rebecca Oates, relict of Dr. Titus Oates, now Rebecca Chadwick, ditto 300 0 0
Maud Johnson ditto 300 0 0
total, annuities and pensions 54,925 0 0
Court Post: Henry Andrews 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 1,550 16 7
the prime cost of several packet boats and charges of the Harwich, Lisbon and other packet boats:
Kendrick Edisbury of Harwich for the charges of several packet boats, detailed 7,145 12 11
Edmund Dummer for the hire of the Prince and Queen packet boats, etc. 4,590 5 5
expenses on the Lisbon packet boats, detailed 308 7 7
Francis Jones of Falmouth for sundry expenses on the packet boats there 10,495 15 4
Zachariah Rogers of Falmouth for sundry charges on the packet boats there 14,328 10 11
for the New Alliance packet boat 3,109 13 6
charges of the Ostend packet boats 2,011 5 4
Edmund Dummer for the hire of the West Indian packet boats according to contract 9,433 6 4
John Travers for the redemption of three Irish packet boats, etc. 620 0 0
total for the packet boats 52,042 17 4
incident charges, detailed 3,499 15 1
expenses of divers natures, detailed 1,983 16 3
money remitted and discharged by Lord High Treasurer's Order, detailed 461 2 0
charges of the Irish Office, detailed (including 3,167l. 3s. 6d. for salaries and 2,091l. 0s. 1d. for State Letters and Members of Parliaments' letters) 8,884 14 8
money paid into the Exchequer (detailed by dates) 8,941 3 4
(total for salaries, pensions and other charges as above 148,546l. 10s. 5d.)
expenses of the Penny Post Office:
salaries and wages 2,160 12 5
rent of the Penny Post Offices 117 10 0
sundry incidents, detailed 334 8 9
taxes 110 0 0
926 letters returned at 1d. each 3 17 2
several letter receivers for the tenths allowed them on 98,126 [sic for 981,260] letters 408 17 2
3,135 5 6
total payments and allowances £184,930 3 3
and so remains 63,900 5 3½
whereof:
depending in super, detailed:
arrears at Ladyday 1685 2,125 6 0
arrears due from Ladyday 1685 to Ladyday 1707 59,551 8 1
arrears due on accompt of the Penny Post at Ladyday 1707 1,551 17 1½
arrears due from several other persons 671 14 1
£63,900 5 3½
and so this Accompt is Even and Quit.
Declared 31 March 1709.
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