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The Mail Service in 1888
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Letters: General Discussion:
The Mail Service in 1888
Author: Matthew Delahunty
Monday, 24 May 1999 - 10:19 am |        | After reading a range of letters from 1888, many dated but without the postmarked envelope, I ask the question:
How efficient was the mail service of the time? How many days would it take to get mail from one place to another?
For example, since the Saucy Jacky postcard was received on the same day it was dated (and the text appeared in evening papers) then I assume that there was a morning mail collection in inner London which allowed mail to be delivered same day. What about the rest of London? How long would it take for a letter to reach London from Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow or Edinburgh?
Any help re postage time from the above locations would be appreciated.
Dela |
Author: The Viper
Tuesday, 25 May 1999 - 04:21 am | | Hello Dela
The mail service in London at the time appears to have been extremely efficient.
Robert Bloch in his fictional "Night Of The Ripper" mentions that... "Now we have eleven postal deliveries a day in London alone...". I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the claim.
I have also read that if a clerk employed in the City Of London, who lived in London, learned by lunchtime that he was required to work late that day, he could send his wife a postcard telling her to delay putting his tea on and she would receive it in sufficient time to act upon it. In this light, it seems no surprise that Ripper correspondence could be posted and received on the same day.
Regards, V. |
Author: Ashling
Tuesday, 25 May 1999 - 09:16 am | | Hi DELA & VIPER: Can't help with the out-of-town postal deliveries, but here's a bit on London:
"For example, durng (sic) the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, the post office delivered two or even three times daily, and the system was so effcient that Londoners would arrange social engagements, sending queries and receiving answers within a few hours."
The quote's from Brown Univ.'s Victorian Web ... I posted the URL on the "Research Resources - can U Help?" board.
Take care,
Ashling |
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