Hill, Sir Rowland

Hill, Sir Rowland (1795-1879), originator of the 'penny post', b. Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England.

Rowland Hill was a school teacher, but he became interested in the work of the Post Office.

In his time, letters were paid for, not by the sender, but by the person receiving the letter and the cost was high. It was based upon the size of the letter and the distance it was sent.

In 1837 Hill published a little book, Post Office Reform. In this he said that poor people dreaded the arrival of a letter because they could not afford to pay for it. Yet, he said, it was quite possible for mail to be carried cheaply and he worked out how to do this.

One of his ideas was for a person to stick a postage stamp on a letter when they sent it. For an ordinary letter posted anywhere in Britain, the cost should be one penny.

Hill was given a job with the Post Office and the 'Penny Post' started in May 1840. The first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was on sale that month. Penny Blacks, in mint condition, are worth quite a lot to stamp collectors today.

Rowland Hill became head of the Post Office in 1854 and was knighted six years later.

A statue of him stands outside the chief London Post Office at St. Martin's-le-Grand, London and he is buried in Westminster Abbey.

See Eleanor C. Hill Smyth Sir Rowland Hill