A postal delivery system had been in place since 1510 for the King's Post. The General Post Office was established in London in 1710. Prior to the uniform penny postage introduced in 10th January 1840 the postage depended on the distance travelled and the number of sheets of paper used (postal rates). In 1812 the rate for single letter was 4d. for a distance of not more than fifteen miles. A letter from London to Brighton cost 8d., to Nottingham 10d and over the Scots border to Edinburgh 1s 1½d which was a days salary then.
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The postage was paid by the receiver rather than the sender and much effort was spent by the Post Office in collecting the money from a reluctant receiver. By prepaying the postage the difficulty in collecting the money was reduced and money could be saved by the Post Office. The postal rate of one penny on the Penny Black meant that a letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight could be sent to any part of the United Kingdom. With the advent of prepaid postage Rowland Hill advocated that houses should have letter boxes to facilitate delivery of the letter.
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