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113-632: A Travelling Post Office (TPO) was a type of mail train used in Great Britain and Ireland where the post was sorted en route, used from 1830 to 1996, with non-TPO mail trains ending in 2024. The TPO can be traced back to the earlier days of the railway, the first ever postal movement by rail being performed by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) on 11 November 1830. The Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838 obliged railway companies to carry mail, and thus specialised rolling stock

226-485: A cathedral since 1927, Derby did not gain city status until 1977. Derby is a centre for advanced transport manufacturing. It is home to engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and Alstom (formerly Bombardier Transportation ) has a production facility at the Derby Litchurch Lane Works ; Toyota 's UK headquarters is located in the south-west of the city at Burnaston . The Roman camp of Derventio

339-504: A legal monopoly . The worldwide postal system constituting the individual national postal systems of the world's self-governing states is coordinated by the Universal Postal Union , which among other things sets international postage rates, defines standards for postage stamps and operates the system of international reply coupons . In most countries a system of codes has been created (referred to as ZIP codes in

452-439: A 1916 raid on the town. All Saints Church was designated as a cathedral in 1927, signalling that the town was ready for city status. Slum clearance in the 1920s and 1930s saw the central area of Derby become less heavily populated as families were rehoused on new council estates in the suburbs, where houses for private sale were also constructed. Rehousing, council house building and private housing developments continued on

565-637: A block of dots as a two-dimensional barcode . The "block of dots" method allows for the encoding of proof of payment of postage, exact routing for delivery, and other features. The ordinary mail service was improved in the 20th century with the use of planes for a quicker delivery. The world's first scheduled airmail post service took place in the United Kingdom between the London suburbs of Hendon and Windsor, Berkshire , on 9 September 1911. Some methods of airmail proved ineffective, however, including

678-623: A central hub based in London at its heart, known as Railnet . During late 1993, RED and RM had signed a 13-year deal with RES to operate the trains from this new hub, also referred to as the London Distribution Centre or the Princess Royal Distribution Centre , at Stonebridge Park , near Wembley . Furthermore, RM commissioned ABB to manufacture 16 four-car British Rail Class 325 electric multiple units, which were designed specifically for

791-587: A design and development centre and in the 1930s, on the direction of Lord Stamp , the LMS Scientific Research Laboratory was opened on London Road. In 1911, the Derby Wireless Club was formed by a group of local engineers and experimenters. It was to be the first radio or "wireless club" in the country. The early activities of the club, (even through World Wars), pushed the boundaries of 'wireless' technologies at

904-622: A form of meter label and thus do not need to be cancelled.) Documents should generally not be read by anyone other than the addressee; for example, in the United States of America it is a violation of federal law for anyone other than the addressee and the government to open mail. There are exceptions however: executives often assign secretaries or assistants the task of handling their mail; and postcards do not require opening and can be read by anyone. For mail contained within an envelope, there are legal provisions in some jurisdictions allowing

1017-459: A government army coming to meet him south of Derby. He abandoned his invasion at Swarkestone Bridge on the River Trent , a few miles south of Derby. The prince, who on the march from Scotland had walked at the front of the column, made the return journey on horseback at the rear of the bedraggled and tired army. Shrovetide football was played at Derby every year, possibly from as early as

1130-524: A large scale for some 30 years after the end of World War II in 1945. Production and repair work continued at the railway works. In December 1947 the Locomotive Works unveiled Britain's first mainline passenger diesel-electric locomotive – "Number 10000" . In 1958 production switched over to diesel locomotives completely. Meanwhile, the Carriage & Wagon Works were building the first of

1243-411: A moving train using automatic apparatus was carried out on 4 October 1971 at a location just north of Penrith . Although there were in excess of 40 TPOs running at this time, item transfers were only carried out at stations after this date. During the 1980s, BR planners endeavoured to rejuvenate numerous aspects of its operations and to better fulfil customer demands. Under the policy of Sectorisation ,

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1356-751: A postal system in the Empire, appointing Franz von Taxis to run it. This system, originally the Kaiserliche Reichspost , is often considered the first modern postal service in the world, which initiated a revolution in communication in Europe. The system combined contemporary technical and organization means to create a stable transcontinental service which was also the first to offer (fee-based) public access. The Thurn und Taxis family, then known as Tassis, had operated postal services between Italian city-states from 1290 onward. For 500 years

1469-636: A private mail service. Notably, the Cistercians had one which connected more than 6,000 abbeys , monasteries , and churches. The best organization, however, was created by the Knights Templar . In 1716, Correos y Telégrafos was established in Spain as public mail service, available to all citizens. Delivery postmen were first employed in 1756 and post boxes were installed firstly in 1762. In 1505, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I established

1582-587: A small Telephone Boutique next to a historic Postal mansion his ancestors used to go to centuries earlier. Several European Post Carriers like Deutsche Post or Österreichische Post continue to use the Thurn & Taxis Post Horn in their company logo just like the global Phone Book of the World based in the old Postal mansion of King Louis XIV in Paris. In the United Kingdom, prior to 1840 letters were paid for by

1695-513: A suspected criminal conspiracy, although black chambers (largely in the past, though there is apparently some continuance of their use today) opened extralegally. The mail service may be allowed to open the mail if neither addressee nor sender can be located, in order to attempt to locate either. Mail service may also open the mail to inspect if it contains materials that are hazardous to transport or violate local laws. Derby Derby ( / ˈ d ɑːr b i / DAR -bee )

1808-588: Is a city and unitary authority area on the River Derwent in Derbyshire , England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original county town . As a unitary authority, Derby is administratively independent from Derbyshire County Council . The population of Derby is 263,490 (2022). The Romans established the town of Derventio , which was later captured by the Anglo-Saxons and then by

1921-422: Is built upon, with nearby areas linked if within 200 metres. It had a total population of 270,468 at the time of the 2011 census . An increase of over 10% since the 2001 census recorded population of 236,738; comprising population increases since 2001 along with new minor residential areas, and larger sub-divisions.The Derby built-up area is considered to be most of the city, as well as outlying villages within

2034-650: Is considered to have been at Little Chester /Chester Green ( grid reference SK353375 ), the site of the old Roman fort. Later, the town was one of the " Five Boroughs " (fortified towns) of the Danelaw , until it was captured by Lady Æthelflæd of Mercia in July 917, after which the town was annexed to the Kingdom of Mercia. The Viking name Djúra-bý , recorded in Old English as Deoraby , means "village of

2147-606: Is derived from Old French poste , which ultimately stems from the past participle of the Latin verb ponere 'to lay down or place'. So in the U.K., the Royal Mail delivers the post , while in North America both the U.S. Postal Service and Canada Post deliver the mail . The term email , short for "electronic mail", first appeared in the 1970s. The term snail mail is a retronym to distinguish it from

2260-926: Is in Egypt , where Pharaohs used couriers to send out decrees throughout the territory of the state (2400 BCE). The earliest surviving piece of mail is also Egyptian, dating to 255 BCE. The first credible claim for the development of a real postal system comes from Ancient Persia . The best-documented claim ( Xenophon ) attributes the invention to the Persian King Cyrus the Great (550 BCE), who mandated that every province in his kingdom would organize reception and delivery of post to each of its citizens. Other writers credit his successor Darius I of Persia (521 BCE). Other sources claim much earlier dates for an Assyrian postal system, with credit given to Hammurabi (1700 BCE) and Sargon II (722 BCE). Mail may not have been

2373-519: Is represented by three MPs. Derby's emblem is the Derby Ram, about which there is a folk song titled " The Derby Ram ". It is found in a number of places, most notably serving as the nickname of Derby County F.C. The logo of the City Council's services is a stylised ram. Derby is in a relatively low-lying area along the lower valley of the River Derwent , where the south-east foothills of

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2486-730: The 25th anniversary of her ascension to the throne . The Queen presented the "charter scroll" or "letters patent" in person on 28 July 1977 on the steps of the Council House to the then Mayor Councillor Jeffrey Tillet (Conservative). Until then, Derby had been one of the few towns in England with a cathedral but not city status. Derby holds an important position in the history of the Labour movement as one of two seats (the other being Keir Hardie 's in Merthyr Tydfil ) gained by

2599-603: The Civil War of 1642–1646, Derby was garrisoned by Parliamentary troops commanded by Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet , who was appointed Governor of Derby in 1643. These troops took part in the defence of nearby Nottingham , the siege of Lichfield , the battle of Hopton Heath and many other engagements in Nottinghamshire , Staffordshire and Cheshire , as well as successfully defending Derbyshire against Royalist armies. The first civic system of piped water in England

2712-801: The Cork Mail and two to the Galway Mail, both of which originated from Connolly station in Dublin. The movement of post by rail in Ireland ended in 1994 with the last day mails on 14 January and the final operational night mails on 17 January on both the Cork and Galway routes. Two of the 1958-built TPOs survived into preservation- 2977 of the Cork Mails and 2978 of the Galway Mails. Both are at

2825-663: The Diesel Multiple Units that were to take over many of the services. In 1964 the British Rail Research Division opened to study all aspects of railway engineering from first principles. Its first success was in drastically improving the reliability and speed of goods trains, work which led to the development of the Advanced Passenger Train . Derby was awarded city status on 7 June 1977 by Queen Elizabeth II to mark

2938-621: The Downpatrick and County Down Railway , who own 2978, whilst 2977 is still owned by An Post. Several Royal Mail TPOs have been preserved along with stowage vans and general utility vans (GUVs). Only one PCV ( Propelling Control Vehicle ) remains, currently at the Mid-Norfolk Railway . At these preserved lines the TPOs can be seen performing a live drop off/pick up from a preserved lineside apparatus. The Great Central Railway and

3051-650: The Fabian Society . On his death in 1894, he left the society an amount in his will which was instrumental in founding the London School of Economics . The beginning of 19th century saw Derby emerging as an engineering centre, with manufacturers such as James Fox , who exported machine tools to Russia. In 1840, the North Midland Railway set up its works in Derby and when it merged with

3164-576: The Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), who had relay stations every 30 li (about 15km) along major routes. The Tang dynasty (618 to 907 AD) operated a recorded 1,639 posthouses, including maritime offices, employing around 20,000 people. The system was administered by the Ministry of War and private correspondence was forbidden from the network. The Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) sought a postal system to deliver mail quickly, securely, and cheaply. Adequate speed

3277-617: The Midland Counties Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to form the Midland Railway , Derby became its headquarters. The connection with the railway encouraged others, notably Andrew Handyside , Charles Fox and his son Francis Fox . A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Normanton Barracks in 1877. Derby was one of the boroughs reformed by

3390-651: The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , and it became a county borough with the Local Government Act 1888 . The borough expanded in 1877 to include Little Chester and Litchurch , and then in 1890 to include New Normanton and Rowditch. The borough did not increase substantially again until 1968, when under a recommendation of the Local Government Boundary Commission it was expanded into large parts of

3503-699: The Nene Valley Railway are leading this endeavour with many weekends devoted to Mail by Rail. Other lines are following in their wake. TPOs were formed of several different types of vehicle: Mail Postal authorities often have functions aside from transporting letters. In some countries, a postal, telegraph and telephone (PTT) service oversees the postal system, in addition to telephone and telegraph systems. Some countries' postal systems allow for savings accounts and handle applications for passports . The Universal Postal Union (UPU), established in 1874, includes 192 member countries and sets

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3616-740: The Pennines adjoin the lowlands and valley of the River Trent to the south. The city is bordered by four national character areas , the Trent Valley Washlands to the south, the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfields in the east, the South Derbyshire Claylands in the west, and the Derbyshire Peak Fringe in the north. Most of the flat plains surrounding Derby lie in the Trent Valley Washlands and South Derbyshire Claylands, while

3729-720: The South Derbyshire district, at Boulton Moor / Thulston Fields , Stenson Fields , and the Mickleover Country Park residential development (The Pastures) within Burnaston parish. The urban area is bounded to the east by a narrow gap between Borrowash and Draycott (to the west of the Breaston urban area sub-division of the Nottingham BUA ). It is also close to other nearby urban areas to

3842-475: The U.S. Postal Service authorised the first tests of a secure system of sending digital franks via the Internet to be printed out on a PC printer, obviating the necessity to license a dedicated franking machine and allowing companies with smaller mail programs to make use of the option; this was later expanded to test the use of personalized postage. The service provided by the U.S. Postal Service in 2003 allows

3955-647: The West Coast Main Line between its mail terminals at London (Willesden), Warrington and Glasgow ( Sheildmuir ) using the dedicated Class 325 electric multiple units that had been in operation since 1996. In 2009, the contract for these mail trains was transferred to EWS's successor DB Schenker Rail . For flexibility, Royal Mail had preserved rail access to its distribution centres on Tyneside (Low Fell) and at Tonbridge in Kent, and did occasionally send mail trains to Low Fell, for example when Newcastle Airport

4068-648: The Wodeyar dynasty (1399–1947) of the Kingdom of Mysore used mail service for espionage purposes thereby acquiring knowledge related to matters that took place at great distances. By the end of the 18th century, a postal system in India was in operation. Later this system underwent complete modernization when the British Raj established its control over most of India. The Post Office Act XVII of 1837 provided that

4181-461: The districts of Amber Valley and Erewash which adjoin the city. This overall area is, by ONS' figures, the 29th largest in the UK . Because methods of measuring linked areas were redefined for the 2011 census, Breadsall , Duffield and Little Eaton were included. However, Quarndon is not considered to be a component as it is marginally too distant. It extends south to small adjoining estates in

4294-525: The 12th century. The town was split into the St Peter's and All Saints parishes, who fought to bring the ball from the Market Place to a goal within their own parishes. There were several attempts to ban the game, described in 1846 as "the barbarous and disgusting play of Foot-Ball, which for a great number of years has annually disgraced our town". In that year the military were brought in and after

4407-491: The 17th century, the word mail began to appear as a reference for a bag that contained letters: "bag full of letter" (1654). Over the next hundred years the word mail began to be applied strictly to the letters themselves and the sack as the mailbag . In the 19th century, the British typically used mail to refer to letters being sent abroad (i.e. on a ship) and post to refer to letters for domestic delivery. The word Post

4520-628: The August Revolution, the Post and Wireless Office was renamed the Post Office under the Ministry of Transportation. In 1955, the Post Office was upgraded to the Ministry of Post. Some Chinese sources claim mail or postal systems dating back to the Xia or Shang dynasties , which would be the oldest mailing service in the world. The earliest credible system of couriers was initiated by

4633-511: The German radio-beam navigations systems (X-Verfahren and Knickebein , camouflage and decoy techniques (" Starfish sites ") were built, mainly south of the town, e.g. out in fields near Foremark . ) Derby has also become a significant cultural centre for the deaf community in Britain. Many deaf people move to Derby because of its strong sign language -using community. It is estimated that

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4746-684: The Governor-General of India in Council had the exclusive right of conveying letters by post for hire within the territories of the East India Company. The mails were available to certain officials without charge, which became a controversial privilege as the years passed. On this basis the Indian Post Office was established on October 1, 1837. The first well-documented postal service was that of Rome . Organized at

4859-461: The TPO at Yatton Station, Somerset in the early hours of 10th January 2004. After a hiatus, some mail and parcels traffic has now returned to rail - carried in bulk and not sorted en-route. On 11 November 1830, the first ever postal movement by rail was made by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR), which had come to an agreement with the General Post Office (GPO) to move their mail upon L&MR services. It quickly became apparent that

4972-467: The TPO's manual sorting by hand, along with operational safety concerns, made it increasingly unattractive to continue operating such services. Accordingly, the night of the 9/10 January 2004 saw the final TPO services run in Great Britain, with the carriages themselves used then sold for scrap or to preservation societies. The final load of mail to be loaded aboard a travelling post office was the consignment by air from Scotland via Bristol airport, put aboard

5085-414: The TPOS and all rail mail operations were consolidated into their own business unit, Rail Express Systems (RES). This reorganisation under its own management team led to a new focus of its operations on the specific needs of its primary customer, the Royal Mail (RM). Seeking to rejuvenate rail mail, RES devised a £150 million strategy that focused on long-distance services that worked in conjunction with

5198-406: The United States Postal Service's experiment with rocket mail . Receipt services were made available in order to grant the sender a confirmation of effective delivery. Before about the mid-nineteenth century, in regions where postal systems existed, the payment models varied, but most mail was sent unpaid requiring the recipient to pay the postage fee. In some regions a partial payment was made by

5311-435: The United States, postcodes in the United Kingdom and Australia, eircodes in Ireland and postal codes in most other countries) in order to facilitate the automation of operations. This also includes placing additional marks on the address portion of the letter or mailed object, called "bar coding". Bar coding of mail for delivery is usually expressed either by a series of vertical bars, usually called POSTNET coding or

5424-410: The Vikings who made Djúra-bý one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw . Initially a market town , Derby grew rapidly in the industrial era and was home to Lombe's Mill , an early British factory and it contains the southern part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. With the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, Derby became a centre of the British rail industry . Despite having

5537-408: The agent usually indicates by means of a cancellation that it is no longer valid for pre-payment of postage. The exceptions are when the agent forgets or neglects to cancel the mailpiece, for stamps that are pre-cancelled and thus do not require cancellation and for, in most cases, metered mail. (The "personalized stamps" authorized by the USPS and manufactured by Zazzle and other companies are in fact

5650-512: The conditions for physical mail. Email (and in recent years social networking sites) became a fierce competitor to physical mail systems, but online auctions and Internet shopping opened new business opportunities as people often get items bought online through the mail. Modern mail is organized by national and privatized services, which are reciprocally connected by international regulations, organizations and international agreements. Paper letters and parcels can be sent to almost any country in

5763-470: The contract to operate them reportedly equated to 10 per cent of EWS’ overall business, representing a major loss to the company. The last TPO services went out on the night of 9 January 2004, marking the end of sorting of mail on trains in Britain. However, Royal Mail did restore the movement of some already-sorted letters by rail in time for the Christmas season that year, contracting with EWS's competitor GB Railfreight to resume bulk transfer services along

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5876-726: The deaf population in Derby is at least three times higher than the national average, and that only London has a larger deaf population. The Royal School for the Deaf on Ashbourne Road provides education in British Sign Language and English. By traditional definitions, Derby is the county town of Derbyshire ; the county's quarter sessions were held at Derby and knights of the shire were elected there, with County Hall on St Mary's Gate being built in 1660 to host such courts and meetings. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Derbyshire County Council initially used County Hall as its meeting place, but moved to Smedley's Hydro in Matlock in 1955. Between 1889 and 1974 Derby

5989-539: The deer". However, the origin of the name Derby has had multiple influences: a variation of the original Roman name Derventio with pronunciation of the letter "v" as "b", becoming Derbentio , and later Derby, along with a link to the river Derwent – from the Celtic meaning "valley thick with oaks" – which flows through the city, triggering a shortened version of Derwent by , meaning 'Derwent settlement'. The town name appears as Darbye on early maps, such as that of John Speed , 1610. Modern research (2004) into

6102-948: The driest month. This location is classified as Cfb according to the Köppen climate classification . Under the Köppen climatic classification Derby has an oceanic climate along with the rest of the British Isles. The average annual temperature is 9.7 °C. Precipitation averages 694 mm. The highest temperature ever recorded in Derby was 34.1 °C (93.4 °F), recorded at Markeaton Park on 3 August 1990, Derby's two biggest employers, Rolls-Royce Holdings and Toyota , are engaged in engineering manufacturing. Other companies of note include railway systems engineering firm Alstom , who manufacture railway rolling stock at Derby Litchurch Lane Works ; First Source, who deal with much of Sky's telephone support; and Triton Equity, who took over Alstom's manufacturing plant for large power plant boilers and heat exchangers in 2014. Derby power station on Silkmill Lane supplied electricity to

6215-447: The enormous funding necessary to rapidly industrialize Japan in the late 19th century. The postal service was one of Korea's first attempts at modernization. The Joseon Post Office was established in 1884. Another important postal service was created in the Islamic world by the caliph Mu'awiyya; the service was called barid , for the name of the towers built to protect the roads by which couriers travelled. By 3000 BC, Egypt

6328-405: The franks to be printed out on special adhesive-backed labels. In 2004 the Royal Mail in the United Kingdom introduced its SmartStamp Internet-based system, allowing printing on ordinary adhesive labels or envelopes. Similar systems are being considered by postal administrations around the world. When the pre-paid envelope or package is accepted into the mail by an agent of the postal service,

6441-474: The hillier, northern parts of the city lie within the Derbyshire Peak Fringe and the Coalfields. The city is around 16 miles (26 km) from Coton in the Elms , the farthest place from coastal waters in the United Kingdom . The Derby Built-up Area (BUA) or Derby Urban Area is an area including Derby and adjoining built-up districts of Derbyshire, including Borrowash and Duffield . The Office for National Statistics defines an urban area as one which

6554-406: The history and archaeology of Derby has provided evidence that the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons would have co-existed, occupying two areas of land surrounded by water. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (c. 900) says that "Derby is divided by water". These areas of land were known as Norþworþig ("Northworthy"="north enclosure") and Deoraby , and were at the "Irongate" (north) side of Derby. During

6667-440: The hub instead. Accordingly, the final TPO services departed King's Cross, Euston, Liverpool Street and Paddington stations on 27 September 1996. The restructuring of services, intended to enable the faster delivery of mail to distant destinations, necessitated the streamlining of both mail pick-ups and drop-offs, a policy which resulted in many intermediate locations seeing the permanent withdrawal of coverage by TPOs. Instead, mail

6780-400: The last postmaster, Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , into real estate, most of it continuing to exist today. The Phone Book of the World has its roots in the long history of the avant-garde telecommunications family Thurn & Taxis. The directory is the result of Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn & Taxis transmitting PTT culture to a student and helping with the opening of

6893-605: The latter part of the twentieth century, rail mail was subject to various changes. In Britain, Rail Express Systems (RES) was formed during the 1980s to rejuvenate the market, streamlining and centralising rail mail services, resulting in TPO coverage decreasing over the following years. During the 1990s, the Royal Mail , Britain's main customer for TPOs, ordered 16 four-car British Rail Class 325 electric multiple units to replace locomotive-hauled counterparts in handling parcels. However, wider economic factors, including increasingly effective mechanical sorting methods in comparison to

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7006-428: The mail and packages often surveyed and their contents sometimes edited out (or even in). There have been cases over the millennia of governments opening and copying or photographing the contents of private mail. Subject to the laws in the relevant jurisdiction, correspondence may be openly or covertly opened, or the contents determined via some other method, by the police or other authorities in some cases relating to

7119-413: The mail service. Foreign observers, such as Marco Polo , have attested to the efficiency of this early postal system. Each station was maintained by up to twenty five families. Work for postal service counted as military service. The system was still operational in 18th century when 64 stations were required for a message to cross Mongolia from the Altai Mountains to China. The modern Japanese system

7232-556: The member nations within the British Commonwealth along with various third party countries. TPOs were usually equipped with letter boxes, enabling people in stations to post mail whilst the train was stationary. The post-marks from TPOs are valued by philatelists . During 1866, apparatus for picking up and setting down mailbags without stopping was installed at Slough and Maidenhead . This concept had first been patented in 1838 by Nathaniel Worsdell, first deputy mayor of Crewe, and carriage and wagon superintendent at Crewe Works. Use of

7345-603: The message carrier (called Chapar ) would ride to the next post, whereupon he would swap his horse with a fresh one for maximum performance and delivery speed. Herodotus described the system in this way: "It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day's journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed". The verse prominently features on New York's James Farley Post Office , although it uses

7458-659: The nationalisation of the railways and the formation of British Rail (BR) in the late 1940s, TPOs continued to be operated by this new state-owned company. However, it was during the BR era that the transportation of mail by rail acquired a negative reputation for unreliability due to services frequently experiencing delays, typically resulting in late arrivals. By 1963, the year of the Great Train Robbery , there were 49 mail trains in service, with between one and five TPOs being typically attached to passenger trains, while complete TPO trains were routinely being operated between London and Aberdeen and Penzance . The final mail drop from

7571-403: The north. Notes: Derby has a green belt area defined to the north and east of the city, first drawn up in the 1950s, to prevent convergence with the surrounding towns and villages. It extends for several miles into the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, covering much of the area up to Nottingham. Derby's climate is classified as warm and temperate. There is precipitation even during

7684-492: The painter Joseph Wright , known as Wright of Derby, who was known for his innovative use of light in his paintings and was an associate of the Royal Academy ; and John Whitehurst , a clockmaker and philosopher. Erasmus Darwin , doctor, scientist, philosopher and grandfather of Charles Darwin , moved to Derby in 1782 and founded the Derby Philosophical Society . Derby's place in the country's philosophical and political life continued with Henry Hutchinson, an active member of

7797-511: The police cut the first ball to pieces, another ball was produced and the town's Mayor was "stuck on the shoulder by a brick-bat, hurled by some ferocious ruffian, and severely bruised". The Derby Football was banned in 1846, although it was played once more in 1870. Derby and Derbyshire were among the centres of Britain's Industrial Revolution . In 1717, Derby was the site of the first water-powered silk mill in Britain, built by John Lombe and George Sorocold , after Lombe had reputedly stolen

7910-479: The postal business based in Brussels and in Frankfurt was passed from one generation to another. Following the abolition of the Empire in 1806, the Thurn-und-Taxis Post system continued as a private organization into the postage stamp era before being absorbed into the postal system of the new German Empire after 1871. 1867 July 1 the State of Prussia had to make a compensation payment of 3.000.000 Thalers reinvested by Helene von Thurn & Taxis , daughter-in-law of

8023-454: The primary mission of this postal service, however. The role of the system as an intelligence gathering apparatus is well documented, and the service was (later) called angariae , a term that in time came to indicate a tax system. The Old Testament ( Esther , VIII) makes mention of this system: Ahasuerus , king of Medes , used couriers for communicating his decisions. The Persian system worked using stations (called Chapar-Khaneh ), whence

8136-411: The public. Common chariots called Dagana were sometimes used as mail chariots in ancient India. Couriers were used militarily by kings and local rulers to deliver information through runners and other carriers. The postmaster, the head of the intelligence service, was responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the courier system. Couriers were also used to deliver personal letters. In South India ,

8249-428: The quicker email. Various dates have been given for its first use. The practice of communication by written documents carried by an intermediary from one person or place to another almost certainly dates back nearly to the invention of writing . However, the development of formal postal systems occurred much later. The first documented use of an organized courier service for the dissemination of written documents

8362-555: The rail mail market. Chiefly, it required all railway companies to carry mail, either by ordinary or special trains, as required by the Postmaster General ; however, this act did not stipulate what was to be charged for such services. In addition to making it mandatory for railway companies to carry mail, the act also required the provision of carriages fitted for sorting it as required; to handle this new obligation, these companies quickly developed specialised rolling stock for

8475-522: The railways were providing a much faster method of conveying letters across the country than traditional horse-drawn coaches. Accordingly, the carriage of mail by train in Great Britain became a routine event within a matter of years. Initially, the movement of mail was at the choice of individual railway companies, being able to accept or refuse to do so at their discretion. The passing of the Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838 substantially reshaped

8588-591: The recently formed Labour Representation Committee at the 1900 general election. The MP was Richard Bell , General Secretary of the Railway Servants Union . Bell was succeeded in 1910 by Jimmy Thomas and he in turn by the distinguished polymath and Nobel Laureate Philip Noel-Baker in 1936. Despite its strategic industries (rail and aero-engine ), Derby suffered comparatively little damage in both world wars (contrast Bristol and Filton ). This may in part have been because of jamming against

8701-417: The recipient and the cost was determined by the distance from sender to recipient and the number of sheets of paper rather than by a countrywide flat rate with weight restrictions. Sir Rowland Hill reformed the postal system based on the concepts of penny postage and prepayment. In his proposal, Hill also called for official pre-printed envelopes and adhesive postage stamps as alternative ways of getting

8814-641: The recording of identities of sender and recipient. The privacy of correspondence is guaranteed by the constitutions of Mexico , Colombia , Brazil and Venezuela , and is alluded to in the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . The control of the contents inside private citizens' mail is censorship and concerns social, political, and legal aspects of civil rights . International mail and packages are subject to customs control, with

8927-480: The reigning House of Hanover . Stuart called at The George Inn on Irongate (where the Duke of Devonshire had set up his headquarters in late November after raising The Derbyshire Blues ) and demanded billets for the 9,000 troops under his command. The prince stayed at Exeter House on Full Street, where he held a council of war on 5 December which decided to retreat. Stuart had received misleading information about

9040-584: The rules for international mail exchanges as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations . The word mail comes from the Middle English word male , referring to a travelling bag or pack. It was spelled in that manner until the 17th century and is distinct from the word male . The French have a similar word, malle , for a trunk or large box, and mála is the Irish term for a bag. In

9153-471: The rural district of Belper , Repton and South East Derbyshire . This vastly increased Derby's population from 132,408 in the 1961 census to 219,578 in the 1971 census. Despite being one of the areas of Britain furthest from the sea , Derby holds a special place in the history of marine safety – it was as MP for Derby that Samuel Plimsoll introduced his bills for a " Plimsoll line " (and other marine safety measures). This failed on first introduction, but

9266-897: The secrets of silk-throwing from Piedmont in Italy (he is alleged to have been poisoned by the Piedmontese as revenge in 1722). In 1759, Jedediah Strutt patented and built a machine called the Derby Rib Attachment that revolutionised the manufacture of hose. This attachment was used on the Rev. Lee's Framework Knitting Machine; it was placed in front of – and worked in unison with – Lee's Frame, to produce ribbed hose (stockings). The partners were Jedediah Strutt, William Woollatt (who had been joined in 1758 by John Bloodworth and Thomas Stafford, all leading hosiers in Derby). The patent

9379-538: The sender to pay for the postage, at a time when prepayment was optional, which led to the invention of the postage stamp, the Penny Black . The postal system was important in the development of modern transportation. Railways carried railway post offices . During the 20th century, air mail became the transport of choice for inter-continental mail. Postmen started to use mail trucks . The handling of mail became increasingly automated. The Internet came to change

9492-435: The sender. Today, worldwide, the most common method of prepaying postage is by buying an adhesive postage stamp to be applied to the envelope before mailing; a much less common method is to use a postage-prepaid envelope . Franking is a method of creating postage-prepaid envelopes under licence using a special machine. They are used by companies with large mail programs, such as banks and direct mail companies. In 1998,

9605-545: The system became prevalent over the following decades, it became commonplace for TPO carriages to be fitted with several for handling automated mail pickups/dropoffs, sometimes being furnished with four separate arms per carriage. By 1914, there were 126 TPO carriages in operation throughout the United Kingdom . They were only referred to as TPOs for the first time in 1928, prior to this, the common term for mail carriages had been Railway Post Offices (RPOs). Following

9718-474: The task. According to industry periodical Rail Magazine , the first Travelling Post Office (TPO) carriage emerged during 1838, and credited George Kastadt , a surveyor employed by the GPO, with the concept. On 6 January 1838, Kastadt proposed a trial of a 'travelling office', of which the first run was conducted just weeks later. The advantage of this innovation was that time could be saved by sorting mail while it

9831-429: The time in England, and promoted it into becoming a hobby for many local folk. {Over later years, as radio technology progressed, the club transitioned to become the Derby & District Amateur Radio Society (DADARS), continuing to host meetings and events for radio hobbyists with all the new technologies, into the early 2020s.} In World War I, Derby was targeted by German Zeppelin air bombers, who killed five people in

9944-433: The time of Augustus Caesar (62 BCE – 14 CE), the service was called cursus publicus and was provided with light carriages ( rhedæ ) pulled by fast horses. By the time of Diocletian , a parallel service was established with two-wheeled carts ( birotæ ) pulled by oxen . This service was reserved for government correspondence. Yet another service for citizens was later added. In 1802, the first Vietnamese postal service

10057-460: The town and the surrounding area from 1893 until its closure in 1969. From 1922 Sinfin Lane was the home of the 62-acre (250,000 m ) site of International Combustion , originally manufacturers of machinery for the automatic delivery of pulverised fuel to furnaces and boilers , and later producing steam-generating boilers for use in electrical generating plant such as used in power stations. In

10170-480: The translation "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds". The economic growth and political stability under the Mauryan Empire (322–185 BCE) stimulated sustained development of civil infrastructure in ancient India . The Mauryans developed early Indian mail service as well as public wells, rest houses, and other facilities for

10283-487: The transport of foreign and domestic tribute specifically and the conduct of trade in general. By the end of Kublai Khan's rule, there were more than 1400 postal stations in China alone, which in turn had at their disposal about 50,000 horses, 1,400 oxen, 6,700 mules, 400 carts, 6,000 boats, more than 200 dogs, and 1,150 sheep. The stations were 25 to 65 km (16 to 40 mi) apart and had reliable attendants working for

10396-598: The transport of pre-sorted mail. Following the privatisation of British Rail in the mid 1990s, all British TPOs were acquired along with RES by the privately owned company English, Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) in February 1996. Following the opening of the new London hub on 30 September 1996, British rail mail operations were drastically restructured; only dedicated mail trains were operated after this date while TPOs were no longer based at any main line stations, as it had been decided to centrally base all London TPOs at

10509-561: The whole territory of his empire the system used by Franks in northern Gaul and connected this service with that of missi dominici . In the mid-11th century, flax traders known as the Cairo Geniza Merchants from Fustat , Egypt wrote about using a postal service known as the kutubi. The kutubi system managed routes between the cities of Jerusalem, Ramla, Tyre, Ascalon, Damascus, Aleppo, and Fustat with year-round, regular mail delivery. Many religious orders had

10622-489: The world relatively easily and cheaply. The Internet has made the process of sending letter-like messages nearly instantaneous, and in many cases and situations correspondents use email where they previously would have used letters. The volume of paper mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service has declined by more than 15% since its peak at 213 billion pieces per annum in 2006. Some countries have organized their mail services as public limited liability corporations without

10735-400: Was a county borough , independent from the county council. It then became a lower-tier district council with the county council providing county-level services between 1974 and 1997. On 1 April 1997, Derby City Council became a unitary authority , regaining its independence from the county council. On 7 July 2014, Derby's first ever Youth Mayor, Belal Butt (a student from Chellaston Academy),

10848-454: Was always a problem, because of the slow overland transportation system, and underfunding. Its network had 1,936 posthouses every 60 li along major routes, with fresh horses available every 10 li between them. The Qing operated 1,785 posthouses throughout their lands. More efficient, however, was the system linking the international settlements, centered around Shanghai and the Treaty ports. It

10961-544: Was being transported, rather than separately sorting it either beforehand or afterwards and thus taking more time to do so. This initial TPO was a converted horse box and was initially operated on the Grand Junction Railway . Karstadt's son was one of two mail clerks who did the sorting. During 1845, the Midland Railway decided to extend their TPO services via Derby to Newcastle upon Tyne ; and soon after reached Scotland . The first special postal train

11074-670: Was closed by snow. In June 2013, a regular service resumed from Low Fell. The carrying of mail by train commenced on 6 April 1835 and early TPOs began on Irish trains on the Dublin to Cork line on 1 January 1855, though general post-carrying vehicles had been around since the early days of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway . By 1910, a total of 13 TPOs were in operation throughout the country. In 1958, Coras Iompair Eireann built four modern TPOs for Department of Posts and Telegraphs at their Inchicore Works . Some time before their withdrawal it had been decided that two would be dedicated to use on

11187-470: Was destroyed by fire on 12 January 1803 and then rebuilt, starting work again at the end of 1804; West Mill, 1792, commenced working 1796; Reeling Mill, 1897; Round Mill, which took 10 years to build, from 1803 to 1813, and commenced working in 1816; and Milford Mills, 1778. The Belper and Milford mills were not built in partnership with Arkwright; they were all owned and financed by Strutt. Other notable 18th-century figures with connections to Derby include

11300-478: Was developed in the mid-19th century, closely copying European models. Japan was highly innovative in developing the world's largest and most successful postal savings system and later a postal life insurance system as well. Postmasters play a key role in linking the Japanese political system to local politics. The postmasters are high prestige, and are often hereditary. To a large extent, the postal system generated

11413-567: Was driven by horses. In 1771 Richard Arkwright, Samuel Need and Jedediah Strutt built the world's first commercially successful water-powered cotton spinning mill at Cromford , Derbyshire, developing a form of power that was to be a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. This was followed in Derbyshire by Jedediah Strutt's cotton spinning mills at Belper . They were: South Mill, the first, 1775; North Mill, 1784, which

11526-476: Was elected by the Mayor of Derby . Derby was a single United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency represented by two members of parliament until 1950, when it was divided into the single-member constituencies of Derby North and Derby South . However, in 2010, the wards of Allestree, Oakwood and Spondon were moved to the new constituency of Mid Derbyshire , created for the 2010 general election. As of 2020, Derby

11639-547: Was established in Derby in 1692, using wooden pipes, which was common for several centuries. The Derby Waterworks included waterwheel-powered pumps for raising water out of the River Derwent and storage tanks for distribution. This was designed and built by local engineer George Sorocold . During the Jacobite rising of 1745 , Jacobite Army troops led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart arrived in Derby on 4 December 1745, whilst on their way to London to attempt to overthrow

11752-505: Was established under the Nguyen dynasty , under the Ministry of Rites. During the Nguyen dynasty, official documents were transported by horse and other primitive means to stations built about 25-30 kilometers apart. In 1904, three wireless communication offices were established, and in early 1906 they were merged with the postal service to form the Post and Wireless Office. In 1945, after

11865-416: Was limited and prioritised for the principal purpose of sorting mail, thus measures to enhance staff comfort was typically more of an afterthought. Initially, toilets were not even provided, although this position was reportedly reversed after the accidental death of a postal worker while relieving himself at the rear of a TPO. While rail mail had emerged in Britain, the country was quickly followed by many of

11978-448: Was little consideration towards crashworthiness or the wellbeing of the occupants in the event of a major accident. Furthermore, RM had increasingly decided to make use of other means of transporting mail, including aircraft and road vehicles. Amid these various factors, during 2003, it was announced that Royal Mail had decided to suspend all transportation of mail by rail. The discontinuation of TPOs reportedly saved RM £10m per year, while

12091-605: Was obtained in January 1759. After three years, Bloodworth and Stafford were paid off, and Samuel Need – a hosier of Nottingham – joined the partnership. The firm was known as Need, Strutt and Woollatt. The patent expired in 1773 though the partnership continued until 1781 when Need died. Messrs Wright, the bankers of Nottingham, recommended that Richard Arkwright apply to Strutt and Need for finance for his cotton spinning mill. The first mill opened in Nottingham in 1770 and

12204-540: Was operated by the Great Western Railway between London and Bristol ; the inaugural train ran on 1 February 1855, leaving Paddington station at 20:46, and arriving at Bristol at 00:30. Prior to 1885, it was common practice for TPO carriages to be added to consists of normal passenger services. That same year, the first dedicated Mail Special was conducted. Early on, the TPOs were relatively barebones in terms of their onboard facilities. Internal space

12317-408: Was quickly provided; the first true TPO emerged that same year. Further innovations followed, such as the development of lineside apparatus for picking up and setting down mailbags while underway, and the use of dedicated mail trains. By 1914, there were 126 TPO carriages in operation throughout the United Kingdom, while numerous other nations had adopted the concept, wholly or in part, as well. During

12430-477: Was successful in 1876 and contributed to Plimsoll's re-election as an MP. An industrial boom began in Derby when Rolls-Royce opened a car and aircraft factory in the town in 1907. In 1923, the Midland Railway became part of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway with headquarters in London. However, Derby remained a major rail manufacturing centre, second only to Crewe and Wolverton . Moreover, it remained

12543-611: Was the main communication system for China's international trade. Genghis Khan installed an empire-wide messenger and postal station system named Örtöö within the Mongol Empire . During the Yuan dynasty under Kublai Khan , this system also covered the territory of China. Postal stations were used not only for the transmission and delivery of official mail but were also available for travelling officials, military men, and foreign dignitaries. These stations aided and facilitated

12656-694: Was to be transported by road to the 45 stations that would be served by the remaining TPO services. Despite this, the increasing efficiency of mechanical sorting in comparison to the hand sorting methods used onboard TPOs meant that the latter was becoming increasingly uneconomic regardless of these changes. A further factor that negatively impacted TPO operations was the Hatfield rail crash during October 2000, which led to numerous restrictions being imposed upon TPOs, including new speed limitations and numerous cancellations across many routes. There were also rising concerns over wellbeing of workers within TPOs, as there

12769-438: Was using homing pigeons for pigeon post , taking advantage of a singular quality of this bird, which when taken far from its nest is able to find its way home due to a particularly developed sense of orientation. Messages were then tied around the legs of the pigeon, which was freed and could reach its original nest. By the 19th century, homing pigeons were used extensively for military communications. Charlemagne extended to

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