Thomas Neale facts for kids
Thomas Neale (born 1641, died 1699) was an important English project manager and politician. He was also the first person to hold a job similar to the postmaster-general for the North American colonies.
Neale was a Member of Parliament for thirty years. He also worked as the Master of the Mint, which meant he was in charge of making coins. He was a Groom of the Bedchamber for the King, a gambler, and a businessman who started many projects.
His many projects included building new areas like Seven Dials and Shadwell in London, and developing Tunbridge Wells. He also worked on draining land, setting up steel factories and paper-making businesses, and mining in Maryland and Virginia. He even tried to find treasure from sunken ships! Thomas Neale also invented special dice to stop cheating in games.
He wrote many papers about making coins and raising money. He was also involved in the idea of a National Land Bank, which was an early version of the Bank of England.
Thomas Neale's Life Story
Thomas Neale was the only son of Thomas Neale and Lucy Uvedale. He studied at Clare College, Cambridge.
He was a very important person in England during the late Stuart period. He used his many connections from his family, the royal court, and his county to act as a go-between. He connected people with money, the court, other Members of Parliament, and the public. In 1664, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a group of top scientists.
He was chosen as the High Sheriff of Hampshire from 1665 to 1666. In 1677, he helped with an investigation into the Royal Mint. He worked as a Commissioner of the Mint from 1684 to 1686. Then, he became the Master of the Mint in 1686 and held that job until he died. After him, the famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton took over the role.
In 1678, he became the Groom Porter for King Charles II. He also held this job for King James II and King William III. His duties included making sure the King's rooms had furniture, cards, and dice. He also settled arguments at card games and on the bowling green. The King allowed him to give licenses to gaming houses and to stop illegal public games.
Neale also started his own loan and lottery business. In 1694, he created the Million Lottery to raise money for the government. Many tickets were sold, but the government didn't actually make a profit from it. From 1679 to 1685, he was a Groom of the Bedchamber for the King.
From 1688, Neale became very active as a Member of Parliament. He represented different areas like Petersfield, Ludgershall, and Stockbridge. He was part of many important committees.
As a businessman, he planned many building projects. These included Lower Shadwell and the unique streets of Seven Dials. One of these streets, Neal Street near Long Acre (street), is still named after him. Neal's Yard in Covent Garden is also named in his honor.
In 1692, he was named Deputy Governor of a company that dug for mines. He also joined projects to find treasure from shipwrecks. These wrecks were located off Broad Haven, Ireland, in the Bermudas, and near Cartagena to Jamaica. All these projects were set up as "joint-stock companies," meaning many people invested money together.
Postal Service in America
In the early days of the North American colonies, people tried many times to start a postal service. These early attempts were small. For example, the Massachusetts Bay Colony set up a place in Boston to send letters back to England. Other efforts tried to create a postal service between two larger colonies, like Massachusetts and Virginia. But for many years, the services were limited and not connected.
A central postal system first came to the colonies in 1691. That year, Thomas Neale received a special permission from the British Crown. This permission gave him the right to run a North American Postal Service for 21 years. On February 17, 1691, King William III and Queen Mary II gave Thomas Neale an official document called "letters patent." This document allowed him:
"to set up offices in the main parts of their majesties' colonies and plantations in America, for receiving and sending letters and packages, and to receive, send, and deliver them for prices that the settlers agree to pay, and to have this right for twenty-one years."
So, prices for postage were set, and plans were made to open a post office in every town in Virginia. Massachusetts and other colonies soon passed their own postal laws. This helped create a postal system, though it was still not perfect. Neale's permission ended in 1710. At that time, the English Parliament extended the British postal system to the colonies. The main post office was set up in New York City. From there, letters were sent across the Atlantic Ocean by regular ships.
- 1691: Thomas Neale received his "postal patent" to deliver mail in America and the West Indies. Neale chose Andrew Hamilton, who was the Governor of New Jersey, to be his deputy postmaster.
- 1693: On May 1, Hamilton started a weekly mail service between Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Virginia.
- 1698: Neale ended his agreement with Hamilton. Hamilton's postal service had brought in less than two thousand dollars, but his costs were about five thousand dollars.
Neale's postal business only cost him eighty cents a year for the right to run it. But it didn't make him rich. He died in 1699 in Wiltshire with a lot of debt.
Thomas Neale's Family Life
In 1664, Thomas Neale married Elizabeth. She was the daughter of Sir John Garrard and the widow of Sir Nicholas Gould. Elizabeth was known as the richest widow in England, and because of this, Thomas Neale was sometimes called 'Golden Neal'.
Even though he married a very wealthy woman, this amazing man died in 1699 without much money. He had a very varied career, and it seems he spent two fortunes. This was likely due to his many projects and interests. His son took over after him but also died soon after.
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