Christmas 1879
The Victorian era heralded the introduction of the Christmas card. It also saw the tradition of exchanging presents at Christmas become firmly established.
The Postal Museum’s files show how this had a major impact on the Post Office, which had to deal with a huge increase in the amount of mail being posted in the days leading up to Christmas and even on Christmas Day!
The amount of mail being posted for Christmas can’t have been that significant in the early 1870s because it didn’t merit a mention in the annual reports of the Postmaster General (the then head of the Post Office) until the late 1870s.
In his annual report of 1878, the Postmaster General said that it had been estimated that during the Christmas and new year’s season of 1877 ‘4,500,000 letters’ had passed through the Inland Branch in addition to all the usual correspondence.
He noted that ‘a large portion of this additional matter reached the Chief Office (at St Martin’s le Grand in London) on Christmas morning. Around 1,000 extra bags had to be brought into use.’
The Postal Museum in London holds a file that gives an interesting insight into how difficult the Post Office was finding Christmas by 1879. It was noted that the ‘figures are truly startling. We are told that the extra weight of registered letters was three and a half tons; that the ordinary letters over and above the usual number exceeded nine million and that the value in postage is estimated at more than £50,000.’
The bulk of the extra weight was attributed to Christmas cards as well as ‘charitable appeals, and reports, which are posted in large numbers for delivery on Christmas morning’ and ‘trade circulars and bills’. Not unnaturally, the bumper festive mailbag put a pressure on colleagues ‘to such an extent as to tax to the very utmost the physical endurance of the men.’
Posting early for Christmas
Just like today, one way in which the Post Office attempted to tackle the mountain of Christmas mail was to ask the public to post their Christmas items early.
The earliest notice the museum has relating to this plea dates from 1879, although you’ll be alarmed to learn that posting early in those days meant doing so on Christmas Eve! Interestingly, there is also a reference in a notice from 1850 suggesting that it was an ‘annual custom’ to only have a delivery in the morning on Christmas Day in London. Christmas deliveries ended in 1961 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in Scotland in 1966.
Remember, as part of our sponsorship deal for the Postal Museum’s Mail Rail, current Royal Mail employees are entitled to one free admission to the museum (including a ride on Mail Rail). All you need to do is book online in advance and select the ‘Royal Mail staff’ option. Then on the day, bring your valid Royal Mail colleague ID.
