Circular delivery company facts for kids
Imagine a time when sending a letter or flyer cost more than people wanted to pay! In postal history, a circular delivery company was a special type of business in Great Britain. These companies operated between 1865 and 1869. Their main goal was to deliver flyers and other printed papers. They did this for much less money than the official British Post Office charged.
However, the government made these services illegal in 1869. After that, the Post Office introduced a new, cheaper way to send printed materials in 1870. Today, the stamps issued by these old companies are very popular with philatelists, who are people who love collecting stamps.
Contents
How Did These Companies Start?
The very first company of this kind was the Edinburgh and Leith Circular Delivery Company. It was started by a man named Robert Brydone in 1865. Brydone promised to deliver flyers within the cities of Edinburgh and Leith. He charged only one farthing for each delivery. A farthing was a very small coin back then.
Brydone also delivered parcels, which were packages. The Post Office did not have a monopoly on parcels, meaning other companies could deliver them. Brydone was a printer by trade. He faced financial trouble in 1866. But he then moved to London. There, he started the London Circular Delivery Company. This company later joined with the Metropolitan Circular Delivery Company in 1867.
How Did They Spread?
Soon after, many more circular delivery companies popped up. Some of these new companies were connected to Robert Brydone. Here are a few examples of these companies:
- Aberdeen Circular Delivery Company
- Circular Delivery Company Limited
- Clarke & Co. Edinburgh
- Dundee Circular Delivery Company
- Edinburgh & Leith Parcel Delivery Company
- Glasgow Circular Delivery Company
- Liverpool Circular Delivery Company
- London & Metropolitan Circular Delivery Company
- National Circular Delivery Company
Why Did They Stop?
The quick growth of these circular delivery companies caught the attention of the Post Office. The Post Office had a legal monopoly. This meant they were the only ones allowed to collect and deliver letters.
In August 1867, the Post Office took legal action. They sued the London & Metropolitan Circular Delivery Company. The Post Office claimed the company was breaking their monopoly. The Post Office won the case. Because of this, most of these companies are believed to have stopped operating by September 1867.
What Was Their Impact?
It was clear that people wanted cheaper ways to send printed materials. The circular delivery companies showed this demand. So, on October 1, 1870, the British Post Office introduced a new stamp. This was the first half-penny stamp. It was a small stamp, sometimes called a "bantam." This stamp paid for the new, lower price for sending printed papers.
Collecting These Stamps
The stamps from circular delivery companies are quite special. You will usually only find them in special stamp catalogues. Many of these stamps are thought to be fakes. Some might have even been made just for collectors and were never actually used to send mail.
Because of this, collectors often prefer to find these stamps still attached to the original envelopes. However, finding such envelopes is very rare. These stamps are known as cinderella stamps. This term refers to stamps that were not issued by official postal authorities. They are also sometimes called stamps for a local post.
