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74-640: Hill made the case that if letters were cheaper to send, people, including the poorer classes, would send more of them, thus eventually profits would go up. Proposing an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage – with the first being the Penny Black – in 1840, the first year of Penny Post, the number of letters sent in the UK more than doubled. Within 10 years, it had doubled again. Within three years postage stamps were introduced in Switzerland and Brazil,

148-516: A chemists shop, and bought an allotment at Osmond Terrace, Norwood , where they built a house. They soon made friends of the Clarks and the friendship endured, four pairing up: The company was responsible for the first electric lighting system ever installed at Adelaide Oval , for an Australian Rules football match between Adelaide and South Adelaide on 1 July 1885 commencing 8pm. The company supplied six electric arc-lamps, three on either side of

222-669: A design by William Mulready , were distributed in early 1840. These Mulready envelopes were not popular and were widely satirised. According to a brochure distributed by the National Postal Museum (now the British Postal Museum & Archive ), the Mulready envelopes threatened the livelihoods of stationery manufacturers, who encouraged the satires. They became so unpopular that the government used them on official mail and destroyed many others. However,

296-589: A land and estate agency at Australasia Chambers and later an accountancy business on King William Street. He was for many years secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He was a noted amateur ornithologist and naturalist and acted as Secretary to the Philosophical Society. His wife spent her last years active but almost totally blind. Their children included "Symonds"

370-933: A little later in the US, and by 1860, they were used in 90 countries. Rowland Hill was born in Blackwell Street, Kidderminster , Worcestershire, England. Rowland's father, Thomas Wright Hill , was an innovator in education and politics, including among his friends Joseph Priestley , Tom Paine and Richard Price . Hill worked at the Assay Office in Birmingham and painted landscapes in his spare time. In 1827, he married Caroline Pearson, originally from Wolverhampton, who died on 27 May 1881. Together they had four children: three daughters (Eleanor, Clara and Louisa), and one son (Pearson). In 1819 he moved his father's school "Hill Top" from central Birmingham, establishing

444-630: A member of the Colonization Commission, Hill convinced the Commission to give Adelaide an election system that provided for minority representation. Although not STV , the system used was based on the Hare quota. This was said to be the first application of proportional representation to a public election in the world. The Commission's annual report, written by Hill, said the novel system was to be used to "make timely provision against

518-473: A niche commercial publishing industry for machine-printed illustrated envelopes subsequently developed in Britain and elsewhere. So it is likely that it was the grandiose and incomprehensible illustration printed on the envelopes that provoked the ridicule and led to their withdrawal. Indeed, in the absence of examples of machine-printed illustrated envelopes before this, the Mulready envelope may be recognised as

592-421: A preposterous one, utterly unsupported by facts and resting entirely on assumption". But merchants, traders and bankers viewed the existing system as corrupt and a restraint of trade. They formed a "Mercantile Committee" to advocate Hill's plan and push for its adoption. In 1839 Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system. From 1839 to 1842, Hill lived at 1 Orme Square , Bayswater , London, and there

666-580: A result, stamps with badly cut margins or no margins are common and worth very little, while examples with four clear margins are rare and valuable and fetch very high prices, especially if in mint condition. An original printing press for the Penny Black, the "D" cylinder press invented by Jacob Perkins and patented in 1819, is on display at the British Library in London. The total print run

740-737: A science laboratory, a swimming pool, and forced air heating. In his Plans for the Government and Liberal Instruction of Boys in Large Numbers Drawn from Experience (1822, often cited as Public Education ) he argued that kindness, instead of caning, and moral influence, rather than fear, should be the predominant forces in school discipline. Science was to be a compulsory subject, and students were to be self-governing. Hazelwood gained international attention when French education leader and editor Marc Antoine Jullien , former secretary to Maximilien de Robespierre , visited and wrote about

814-465: A separate sheet folded to form an enclosure for carrying letters. Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system, and together with Henry Cole he announced a competition to design the stamps. Out of some 2,600 entries, none was considered suitable, however, so a rough design endorsed by Hill was chosen instead, featuring an easily recognisable profile of Queen Victoria . Hill believed this would be difficult to forge . The portrait of Victoria

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888-464: A serious interest in postal reforms in 1835. In 1836 Robert Wallace, MP , provided Hill with numerous books and documents, which Hill described as a "half hundred weight of material". Hill commenced a detailed study of these documents and this led him to publish, in early 1837, a pamphlet called Post Office Reform its Importance and Practicability . He submitted a copy of this to the Chancellor of

962-475: A settlement without convicts at what is today Adelaide . The political economist Robert Torrens was chairman of the commission. Under the South Australia Act 1834 , the colony was to embody the ideals and best qualities of British society, shaped by religious freedom and a commitment to social progress and civil liberties . Hill, like his father, was a fan of proportional representation. As

1036-407: A significant innovation in its own right. Machine-printed illustrated envelopes are a mainstay of the direct mail industry. In May 1840 the world's first adhesive postage stamps were distributed. With an elegant engraving of the young Queen Victoria (whose 21st birthday was celebrated that month), the Penny Black was an instant success. Refinements, such as perforations to ease the separation of

1110-464: Is an LCC plaque there in his honour. The uniform fourpenny post rate lowered the cost to fourpence from 5 December 1839, then to the penny rate on 10 January 1840, even before stamps or letter sheets could be printed. The volume of paid internal correspondence increased dramatically, by 120%, between November 1839 and February 1840. This initial increase resulted from the elimination of "free franking" privileges and fraud. Prepaid letter sheets, with

1184-820: Is buried in Westminster Abbey ; there is a memorial to him on his family grave in Highgate Cemetery . There are streets named after him in Hampstead (off Haverstock Hill, down the side of the Royal Free Hospital ) and Tottenham (off White Hart Lane ). A Royal Society of Arts blue plaque , unveiled in 1893, commemorates Hill at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. Hill was one of eight children. Several of his siblings also achieved fame: Hill has two legacies. The first

1258-539: Is held by the British Postal Museum . This unique item is in fact a plate proof and by definition not an imprimatur sheet. The Penny Black was printed from 11 plates, but as Plate 1 was completely overhauled after excessive wear, it is generally considered to be two separate plates, 1a and 1b. Plate 11 was originally intended solely for the printing of red stamps, but a small number were printed in black. These are scarce. The stamps were printed in imperforate sheets, to be carefully cut with scissors for sale and use. As

1332-646: Is included. There are at least two marble busts of Hill, also unveiled in 1881. One, by W. D. Keyworth, Jr., is in St Paul's Chapel, Westminster Abbey . Another, by William Theed , is in Albert Square , Manchester. In recognition of his contributions to the development of the modern postal system, Rowland Hill is commemorated at the Universal Postal Union , the UN agency charged with regulating

1406-570: The Fatima , arriving at Port Adelaide on 11 June 1850. They established a home in Goodwood . Their children were (see below for partial biographies): In 1853 Francis and son Sidney travelled to the home of John Wilkins M.D., who had been the surgeon and their travelling companion on the Fatima , in Williamstown, Victoria where he died of a heart attack on 6 March 1853. His death notice in

1480-824: The Hazelwood School , Birmingham. (Rowland Hill was to become famous for inventing penny postage and was important in South Australian history as the Secretary to the Commissioners for the Colonization of South Australia.) Her eldest brother, Matthew Davenport Hill , was Recorder of Birmingham, penal reformer and a supporter of Edward Gibbon Wakefield . Both were members of the South Australian Association . He joined

1554-706: The Postmaster General , and then Secretary to the Post Office from 1854 until 1864. For his services, Hill was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1860. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and awarded an honorary degree from University of Oxford . For the last 30 years of his life, and where he died in 1879, Hill lived at Bartram House on Hampstead Green. Bartram House

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1628-670: The Register was curiously brief, with no mention of his wife and family. During early 1853 Francis had purchased a house and 50-acre estate named "Grove Cottage" from Thomas Burr , which the Clark family re-named "Hazelwood", now Hazelwood Park . The family moved in shortly after the Francis's death and in 1858 started planting 3 acres of vines. Caroline Emily Clark (6 September 1825 – 18 November 1911) was, with help from her brother Howard, Catherine Helen Spence and others, founder of

1702-715: The Royal Mail and the British Philatelic Trust in 1997, are annual awards for philatelic "innovation, initiative and enterprise." In 1882 the Post Office instituted the Rowland Hill Fund for postal workers, pensioners and dependents in need. The Rowland Hill Memorial Fund of Ireland was founded for Ireland in 1928, to help serving or retired staff and their dependents, for the former Department of Posts and Telegraphs and continues to serve

1776-745: The "boarding out system" and joined the committee of the State Children's Council in 1906, by invitation, as a replacement for her sister Emily. Francis Howard Clark (22 September 1859 – 17 June 1945), the elder son of J. Howard Clark, was manager of the Blyth Street showrooms and the North Terrace workshop (as F. Howard Clark and Co.) until trading ceased in 1888. He founded an engineering shop in Port Adelaide, building windmills and various pumps of his own design. His windmill

1850-485: The "boarding out system" for the relief of destitute children. See main article . Algernon Sidney Clark (7 December 1826 – 16 February 1908) often called simply "Sidney Clark", succeeded his father as owner and manager of the company. From 1875 to 1882 he collaborated with J. H. Horwood in the manufacture and supply of well-drilling equipment. A. Sidney Clark was associated with the Home for Incurables and secretary of

1924-581: The British Post Office's revenue recovered to its 1839 level. The Uniform Penny Post continued in the UK into the 20th century, and at one point, one penny (1d) paid for up to four ounces (113 g). There are four public statues of Hill. The earliest is in Birmingham : a Carrara marble sculpture by Peter Hollins unveiled in 1870. Its location was moved in 1874, 1891 (when it was placed in the city's General Post Office ) and 1934. In 1940 it

1998-477: The Clarks left England for South Australia, Edward Montgomrey Martin (1807–1894) and his wife Ann Martin (née Thornton) (1809–1901), their family and friend William Hitchcox (1821–1902) followed on the Anglia , arriving at Port Adelaide 5 March 1851. Their children were: They soon met up with fellow-Unitarian Dr. Charles George Everard ; Edward Martin rented a premises from him on Hindley Street, where he established

2072-708: The Cremation Society. Sidney Place, Hazelwood Park is named for him. He was a member of Adelaide City Council for Gawler Ward 1863 to 1865 and a member of its Finance committee He helped brother Henry found Stonyfell winery and on Henry's death inherited his share (see below). He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1886. He served as treasurer of the Adelaide Unitarian Christian Church in Wakefield Street. He

2146-466: The Exchequer, Thomas Spring Rice , on 4 January 1837. This first edition was marked "private and confidential" and was not released to the general public. The Chancellor summoned Hill to a meeting in which the Chancellor suggested improvements, asked for reconsiderations and requested a supplement, which Hill duly produced and supplied on 28 January 1837. In the 1830s at least 12.5% of all British mail

2220-572: The Hazelwood School at Edgbaston , an affluent neighbourhood of Birmingham, as an "educational refraction of Priestley's ideas". Hazelwood was to provide a model for public education for the emerging middle classes , aiming for useful, pupil-centred education which would give sufficient knowledge, skills and understanding to allow a student to continue self-education through a life "most useful to society and most happy to himself". The school, which Hill designed, included innovations such as

2294-519: The United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept payments for postage in cash for a period. The Penny Black lasted less than a year. A red cancellation was difficult to see on the black design, and the red ink was easy to remove; both made it possible to re-use cancelled stamps. In February 1841, the treasury switched to the Penny Red and began using black ink for cancellations instead, which

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2368-461: The arbitrary power that under popular governments the majority exercise over the minority.... [By use of the quorum], parties shall bear the same proportion to each other in the Council that they may bear in the elective body [the electorate]." Rowland Hill's sister, Caroline Clark, her husband Francis , and their large family migrated to South Australia in 1850. Rowland Hill first started to take

2442-710: The death of the founder in 1853, A. Sidney Clark became sole owner, shifting the company's focus towards real estate, insurance and finance, and in 1871, with the firm of Clark and Crompton (see Henry Clark below), moved to offices in Grenfell Street close to King William Street. It narrowly survived destruction when the adjacent photographic studio of Townsend Duryea was destroyed by fire on 18 April 1875. They branched out into stationary engines and other machinery around 1875, with day-to-day operations managed by Joseph Horwood in premises on Gresham Street and North Terrace, moving to Blyth Street in 1878. The company

2516-499: The distance and the number of sheets in the letter. Richard Cobden and John Ramsey McCulloch , both advocates of free trade, attacked the policies of privilege and protection of the Tory government. McCulloch, in 1833, advanced the view that "nothing contributes more to facilitate commerce than the safe, speedy and cheap conveyance of letters." Hill's pamphlet, Post Office Reform: its Importance and Practicability , referred to above,

2590-480: The double-letter rate (up to 1 oz or 28 g) was issued on 8 May 1840. Although the stamps were not officially issued for sale until 6 May 1840, some offices such as those in Bath sold the stamps unofficially before that date. There are covers postmarked 2 May, and a single example is known on cover dated 1 May 1840. All London post offices received official supplies of the new stamps but other offices throughout

2664-459: The fares from London to Brighton, expanded the routes, offered special excursion trains, and made the commute comfortable for passengers. In 1844 Edwin Chadwick , Rowland Hill, John Stuart Mill , Lyon Playfair , Dr. Neil Arnott , and other friends formed a society called "Friends in Council," which met at each other's houses to discuss questions of political economy. Hill also became a member of

2738-480: The firm of William Lea & Co., silversmiths of Newhall Street , Birmingham , whose hallmark was registered at the Birmingham Assay Office in 1811, and in 1824 the hallmark of Lea & Clark was registered in Birmingham. Caroline's maternal grandfather's name was William Lea, so it is likely that the founder of the firm was her uncle. In 1833 they moved to the old Hazelwood building, after

2812-525: The ground, and having two steam-powered dynamos for each three. Four lamps were 1,000 candle-power of Brush manufacture and two of 2,000 candle-power by Siemens . The lamps were mounted on 30-feet poles equally spaced around the Oval just outside the boundary flags. The game was well attended but the illumination proved inadequate for a full enjoyment of the game (especially when the ball's white paint wore off!) and there were momentary lamp failures. Adelaide won

2886-528: The influential Political Economy Club , founded by David Ricardo and other classical economists, but now including many powerful businessmen and political figures. Mill and Hill were both advocates of proportional representation. In 1846, the Conservative Party split over the repeal of the Corn Laws and was replaced by a Whig government led by Lord John Russell . Hill was made Secretary to

2960-572: The international postal system. His name appears on one of the two large meeting halls at the UPU headquarters in Bern , Switzerland. At Tottenham , north London, there is now a local history museum at Bruce Castle (where Hill lived during the 1840s) including some relevant exhibits. In Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, both Hill Street, North Adelaide and Rowland Place in the city centre are named in his honour. The Rowland Hill Awards , started by

3034-412: The lower corner letters show the position of the stamp in the printed sheet, from "A A" at top left to "T L" at bottom right. The sheets, printed by Perkins Bacon , consisted of 240 stamps in 20 rows of 12 columns. One full sheet cost 240 pence or one pound ; one row of 12 stamps cost a shilling . As the name suggests, the stamp was printed in black ink. A two penny stamp printed in blue and covering

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3108-537: The message and the address. In addition, Hill proposed to lower the postage rate to a penny per half ounce, without regard to distance. He first presented his proposal to the government in 1837. In the House of Lords the Postmaster, Lord Lichfield , a Whig, denounced Hill's "wild and visionary schemes." William Leader Maberly , Secretary to the Post Office, also a Whig, denounced Hill's study: "This plan appears to be

3182-456: The monarch somewhere on the design. The first stamps did not need to show the issuing country, so no country name was included on them. The UK remains the only country in the world to omit its name on postage stamps; the monarch's image signifies the UK as the country of origin. Initially, Hill specified that the stamps should be 3/4 inch square but altered the dimensions to 3/4 inch wide by 7/8 inch tall (approx 19 x 22 mm) to accommodate

3256-401: The new stamps. Four are known on covers; all were cut from their envelopes and then replaced. Most of the cancelled examples are from trials of cancellation types, inks, and experiments with their removal. Those trials led to the change from black to red stamps, and vice versa for the cancellations. Considered a British cultural icon, the Penny Black design featured in the innovations section of

3330-528: The postal system; he apparently noticed a young woman too poor to claim a letter sent to her by her fiancé. At that time, letters were normally paid for by the recipient, not the sender. The recipient could simply refuse delivery. Frauds were commonplace: for example, coded information could appear on the cover of the letter; the recipient would examine the cover to gain the information, and then refuse delivery to avoid payment. Each individual letter had to be logged. In addition, postal rates were complex, depending on

3404-427: The reorganised companies An Post and eircom . The fund assists more than 300 people annually. For the centenary of the first stamp, Portugal issued a miniature sheet with 8 stamps mentioning his name. Later, on his death centenary, an omnibus issue of stamps commemorating Hill was produced by about 80 countries. Altogether, 147 countries have issued stamps commemorating him. Penny Black The Penny Black

3478-588: The same building as Francis Clark and Son, and warehouse in Blyth Street. Henry Clark died of tuberculosis on what would have been his wedding day to Annie Martin. On Henry's death, Sidney Clark inherited Henry's share of the business, which he sold to Crompton in 1873, though the business name remained "Clark and Crompton" until 1880. Matthew Symonds Clark (1839 – 10 July 1920) was a student at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution , married fellow Unitarian Euphemia Martin (c. 1850 – 1 April 1941) at their Wakefield Street Church on 29 August 1874. He operated

3552-463: The school had moved to " Bruce Castle ", and lived there for over fifteen years. They decided to migrate to South Australia after two of their children (T. Arthur (ca.1833–1847) and F. Owen (ca.1827–1849)) had died of tuberculosis and another, John Howard, was showing signs of lung problems. Following the advice of Caroline's brothers Matthew Davenport Hill and Rowland Hill, Francis and his wife with eight children migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in

3626-559: The school in the June 1823 issue of his journal Revue encyclopédique . Jullien even transferred his son there. Hazelwood so impressed Jeremy Bentham that in 1827 a branch of the school was created at Bruce Castle in Tottenham , London. In 1833, the original Hazelwood School closed and its educational system was continued at the new Bruce Castle School , of which Hill was headmaster from 1827 until 1839. The colonisation of South Australia

3700-449: The sender, the prepayment to be proven by the use of prepaid letter sheets or adhesive stamps (adhesive stamps had long been used to show payment of taxes, on documents for example). Letter sheets were to be used because envelopes were not yet common; they were not yet mass-produced, and in an era when postage was calculated partly on the basis of the number of sheets of paper used, the same sheet of paper would be folded and serve for both

3774-495: The series B British passport issued in 2015. Also in 2015, the search engine Google marked the 175th anniversary of the postage stamp with a Google doodle of the Penny Black. In 2020, Central African Republic issued the Penny Black Against Covid-19 stamps, promoting the importance of wearing masks properly to protect oneself and others. Francis Clark and Sons Francis Clark and Son

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3848-599: The stamps, were instituted with later issues. Rowland Hill continued at the Post Office until the Conservative Party won the 1841 General Election . Sir Robert Peel returned to office on 30 August 1841 and served until 29 June 1846. Amid rancorous controversy, Hill was dismissed in July 1842. However, the London and Brighton Railway named him a director and later chairman of the board, from 1843 to 1846. He lowered

3922-509: The top corners. Because the general public quickly accepted the postage stamps and ridiculed the Mulready stationery produced at the same time, vast supplies of Mulready letter sheets were given for official use to government departments such as the tax office, and the idea of introducing an official stamp was abandoned. Only a few postally used examples exist, which probably originate from the Post Office circulars sent out as advance notice of

3996-644: The town centre until 2019 and a large shopping mall linking Vicar Street and Worcester Street is named The Rowland Hill Shopping Centre. In London a bronze statue by Edward Onslow Ford , also made in 1881, stands outside the King Edward Building (formerly London's principal Post Office) in King Edward Street. There is a large sculpture in Dalton Square, Lancaster, The Victoria Monument, depicting eminent Victorians and Rowland Hill

4070-403: The writing at the bottom. The word "POSTAGE" at the top of the design distinguishes it from a revenue stamp which had long been used in the UK; "ONE PENNY." at the bottom shows the amount pre-paid for postage of the stamped letter. The background to the portrait consists of finely engraved engine turnings . The two upper corners hold Maltese crosses with radiant solar discs at their centres;

4144-463: The written permission of the Inland Revenue officials entered on the back of the sheet of stamps. In the 19th century, it was common for officials to remove some stamps from each sheet to present as gifts to dignitaries and other important people. Individual stamps from an Imprimatur sheet can thus be found for sale on the open market. A complete sheet of the Penny Black without check letters

4218-484: Was 286,700 sheets, containing a total of 68,808,000 stamps. Many were saved, and in used condition they remain readily available to stamp collectors . The only known complete sheets of the Penny Black are owned by the British Postal Museum. In addition to the general issue of the Penny Black, a similar stamp intended for official mail was produced, with the letters "V" and "R" replacing the crosses in

4292-436: Was Secretary and Engineer with East Torrens District Council , and in 1858 purchased a vineyard (which his fiancé Annie Martin named " Stonyfell ") from James Edlin. He developed the vineyard in partnership with fellow-Unitarian Joseph Crompton (1842–1901), who was also his assistant at the Council and married his sister Susan. In 1862 they formed a partnership with A. Sidney Clark, trading as Clark and Crompton with offices in

4366-659: Was a founder, with Joseph H. Haycraft of Haycraft's Gold Extraction Co. Ltd. in 1894, voluntarily liquidated in 1901. He married Isabella "Belle" Hawkins (ca. September 1843 – 17 December 1920) at the Unitarian Church in Wakefield Street on 17 October 1867 and lived at Parkside , then "Hazelwood", later in North Adelaide. John Howard Clark (15 January 1830 – 20 May 1878) was company accountant and later editor of The South Australian Register (see main article ) Henry Septimus Clark (1835 – 20 February 1864)

4440-572: Was a project of Edward Gibbon Wakefield , who believed that many of the social problems in Britain were caused by overcrowding and overpopulation. In 1832 Rowland Hill published a tract called Home colonies: sketch of a plan for the gradual extinction of pauperism, and for the diminution of crime , based on a Dutch model. [2] Hill then served from 1833 until 1839 as secretary of the South Australian Colonization Commission , which worked successfully to establish

4514-500: Was an engineering business in the early days of South Australia , which later became Francis Clark and Sons . Francis Clark (1799–1853), previously a silversmith and magistrate in Birmingham , England, founded Francis Clark and Son, importers, with his son J. Howard Clark as accountant soon after migrating to Adelaide with his family in 1850. He then brought in A. Sidney Clark as manager, becoming Francis Clark and Sons, hardware importers and shipping agents of Blyth Street. With

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4588-796: Was chairman of the South Australian Chamber of Manufactures from 1871 to 1873. He was member of the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce and its chairman in 1871. He was a member of the Central Education Board from 1866 to 1868 or later. He was an active member of the Adelaide Philosophical Society He was a director of numerous companies, among them Mid-Moonta Mining, South Australian Coal, Burrawing Copper, Hamley Mining, Wheal Barton Copper Mining and Stonyfell Quarries. He

4662-401: Was circulated privately in 1837. The report called for "low and uniform rates" according to weight, rather than distance. Hill's study reported his findings and those of Charles Babbage that most of the costs in the postal system were not for transport, but rather for laborious handling procedures at the origins and the destinations. Costs could be reduced dramatically if postage were prepaid by

4736-430: Was conveyed under the personal frank of peers, dignitaries and members of parliament, while censorship and political espionage were conducted by postal officials. Fundamentally, the postal system was mismanaged, wasteful, expensive and slow. It had become inadequate for the needs of an expanding commercial and industrial nation. There is a well-known story, probably apocryphal, about how Hill gained an interest in reforming

4810-464: Was declared insolvent in 1884 but was permitted by its creditors to continue trading. In 1886, with the departure of M. Symonds Clark, it became Francis H. Clark & Co. The company ceased trading in 1893. In 1824 Francis married Caroline Hill (18 August 1800 – 16 September 1877) , a daughter of Sarah (née Lea) (1765–1842) and Thomas Wright Hill (24 April 1763 – 13 June 1851) of Kidderminster , founder of what, under her brother Rowland Hill , became

4884-419: Was engraved by Charles Heath and his son Frederick, based on a sketch provided by Henry Corbould . Corbould's sketch was in turn based on the 1834 cameo -like head by William Wyon , which was used on a medal to commemorate the Queen's visit to the City of London in 1837. This portrait of Victoria remained on British stamps until her death in 1901. All British stamps still bear a portrait or silhouette of

4958-440: Was his model for the education of the emerging middle classes. The second was his model for an efficient postal system to serve businesses and the public, including the postage stamp and the system of low and uniform postal rates, which is often taken for granted in the modern world. In this, he not only changed postal services around the world, but also made commerce more efficient and profitable, even though it took 30 years before

5032-454: Was more effective and difficult to remove. However, people still re-used stamps by combining the uncancelled parts of two stamps to form an unused whole, so in 1864 as a further safeguard the top corner stars on the Penny Red were replaced by the lower corner check letters in reverse order. Imprimatur sheets are from among the first sheets of stamps printed from a finished printing plate. The actual imprimatur ('let it be printed') refers to

5106-399: Was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance travelled. By contrast, the Penny Black allowed letters of up to 1 ⁄ 2 ounce (14 grams) to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance. On 13 February 1837, Sir Rowland Hill proposed to a government enquiry both the idea of a pre-paid stamp and a pre-paid envelope ,

5180-446: Was removed for safekeeping for the duration of the Second World War . It is now in the foyer of the Royal Mail sorting office in Newtown , Birmingham. A marble statue in Kidderminster, Hill's birthplace, was sculpted by Sir Thomas Brock and unveiled in June 1881. It is at the junction of Vicar and Exchange Streets. Hill is prominent in Kidderminster's community history. There used to be a J D Wetherspoon pub called The Penny Black in

5254-401: Was shown at the 1879 Adelaide Industrial Exhibition; his pumps were well received at the Adelaide Exhibition in 1881. A portable steam engine and well-boring equipment won prizes at the Royal Adelaide Show in 1887. He moved to Broken Hill and married Edith Mary Smith ( – 17 July 1950) on 5 June 1890. Later their home was "Koondi", 123 Kensington Terrace , Norwood . Around six months after

5328-492: Was the largest house in a row of four Georgian mansions which were demolished at the start of the twentieth century to make way for Hampstead General Hospital, which was itself demolished in the 1970s and replaced by The Royal Free Hospital . For twenty years his next-door neighbour on Hampstead Green was the Gothic revival architect Samuel Sanders Teulon , who designed St Stephen's Church, Rosslyn Hill , facing their houses. Hill

5402-695: Was the maiden name of his great-grandmother, Thomas Wright Hill's mother. A stained-glass window, depicting the Parable of the Good Samaritan , the work of Nora Burden , one of Australia's few women stained-glass artists, was in 1948 installed in the Unitarian Church, Wakefield Street, in his memory. It was incorporated into the Norwood meeting-house in the early 1970s. Susan Mary Clark (28 February 1846 – 1932) married Joseph Crompton (1840 – 27 April 1901) on 8 May 1866 She worked with sister Emily on

5476-410: Was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system . It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May. The stamp features a profile of Queen Victoria . In 1837, British postal rates were high, complex and anomalous. To simplify matters, Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it

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