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This 2006 Website is dedicated to all past and present Postmen and Women who, in all weathers, have delivered mail to the area of Teesdale in the County of Durham.
It has been constructed by Fred Fawcett, Postman Higher Grade (PHG) retired, and helped by his son Simon with strong backing from Dave Charlesworth, retired (former Delivery Office Manager of Royal Mail Barnard Castle).
THE ROLL OF HONOUR (please see dedicated page) can be found in the Callers Office at Royal Mail Barnard Castle on the Harmire Enterprise Park, BARNARD CASTLE,
County Durham.
The names on the plaque are all the Postmen, in service at the time, who went to war in 1914 - 1918. It hung at the Post Office Counter in Galgate until relocated to the new Delivery Office in April 1998. (Names, with the black line around, are those who gave their lives during WW1.)
There was a Post Office in Barnard Castle by 1721.
By 1867 it was a Railway Sub Office.
In 1870 it became a Telegraph Office (code BBR). By January 1876 it was a Head Post Office and in October 1919 its status changed to a Salaried Sub Office (SSO).
There was a Post Office in Galgate (not at the present location) from August 1895 closing in 1933 when the main office moved to 2 - 4 Galgate.
Also, there was an additional Post Office on The Bank between 1935 and 1958.
Info supplied by Helen Dafter, BPMA User Services Archivist.
Date: 1947 - FindingNo POST 118/1727 -
Barnard Castle Schedule of Deliveries
January, 1846.
With the demise of the Darlington / Winston / Barnard Castle Mail Coach, and the building of the New Road [A66], not only did the delivery of Hutton Magna concentrate onto Richmond but also the villages of:- Barningham, Ovington and Small-ways. [It is noted that Birkdale, Harwood, Barnard Castle, DL12 0JA, doesn't appear on the 1846 list. Further research for our sister website - royalmailswaledale - shows that there is a Birkdale (DL11 6LR) which was routed via the Richmond - Keld mail cart.]
The whole of the Teesdale District, as delivered by Barnard Castle in the 1840's, further reduced with the concentration of Dial-house onto Winston together with Humbleton onto Darlington.
Also, Lynesach transfered to Bishop Auckland.
Reference to the Barnard Castle Delivery list of the 1846 [* the year Rowland Hill became the Secretary to the Postmaster General] is made by Mr Frank L Warwick, Postmaster, in the following extract from his article, on Barnard Castle, made in the Teesdale Mercury of November 1947:
"In 1846 Barnard Castle was the postal delivery office for the whole of Teesdale. From the photograph of the delivery schedule of 1846, the task [on foot] must have been an arduous one, particularly in winter-time, when, even at the present day, certain places are occasionally isolated for weeks [Regulator please note!]. Many of the places named in the list are still [today] delivered from Barnard Castle, but instead of the postman mounted on horseback, delivery is made by official motor-van [OMV] --- even the Dales move with the times!" [From March 27, 2008 watch out for our new BC2 Ford Ranger x4WD OMV on the Harwood Rural Post:
registration Number - LB57 ABU;
seiral number - 7100005.]
The full article can be found on the Scrapbook page.
Further infomation on how postal services shaped the modern world can be found on the British Postal Museum Archives (BPMA) Website at: www.postalheritage.org.uk where this 1846 schedule can be found.
In the Teesdale Mercury of Wednesday Sept. 27, 1933 (pg. 12) an article refers to the last horse drawn Post Cart in 'Upper Teesdale' disappearing and now delivery solely on motor power... (Thanks once again to Denis Kidd who came across this interesting T.M. 'News Item'.)
A big thank you for all the photographs donated by the following: Trevor Ireland, Mrs Fred Barron, Bob Bell, Harry Maddison, Marian Lewis, Maureen Sebbage, Margaret Stubley, Mr P B Watson, Doreen Rhodes, Margaret and son - Mr McRobbie, Tom Dent, Mrs TLM Hebron, Sonia Hooper, Mrs M Batram, Tom Hutchinson, John Robinson, etc.
And not forgetting our local historian Mr Parkin Raine who 'set the seeds' for our Photographic Exhibition.
"We understand your new Ford Ranger is LB57 ABU (7100005) to replace the Mitsubishi L200. If you can let me know when it goes into service, I'll come up and have a look at it if that is OK".
Christopher Hogan,
Hon. Sec. Post Office Vehicle Club.
If you have any old photos / information relating to the postal service in Teesdale we should be grateful if you would contact Fred Fawcett via the Callers Office
Royal Mail Barnard Castle Delivery Office
Harmire Enterprise Park
BARNARD CASTLE
DL12 8AX
Tel: 01833 35 6121
Fax: 01833 35 6122 (or use the guestbook / shoutbox). Cheers!
Five of the entrances to ‘Barney’ have the word ‘gate’ (meaning ‘way’) in their street names. Galgate is the northern way into the town centre. In the 1880’s the then Local Board of Health was much concerned with making it a more dignified approach, especially as this was the first street to be seen by visitors arriving by railway train. This picture shows how well they succeeded. (The iron railings, enclosing trees, lawns and flower-beds, were removed during the Second World War for armaments.) Across the valley can be seen the old Roman road (from Bowes to Binchester), upon which a section of Galgate was built. Standing on the corner of John Street, to the left, is a Postman with his delivery pouch and a tall peaked cap; the laden horse-drawn carts are probably conveying coal from the railway goods yard; on the right, in front of the corner-shop, adjacent to the Public House, stands a Railwayman - a reminder that Montalbo Terrace (as it was then known) led to the Railway Station.
Barnard Castle was founded around 1093 by Guy Baliol and the town grew around the castle. His successor Bernard Baliol named the castle and the town.
(E.R.D. = Emergency Reserve Decoration)
As a member of the Army Emergency Reserve Bert Minchin was awarded the E.R.D.
1986 - 1992 John Ensoll
From the begining of April 1992 Royal Mail Darlington ceased to exist as a District. Therefore, as District Head Postmaster, John Ensoll took early retirement after 32 year's service.
1840 Penny Black
The Penny Black was issued on 6 May, following the introduction of Universal Penny Postage on 10 January.
Rowland Hill (1795-1879)
Rowland Hill invented the prepaid postage stamp. He was an important Victorian reformer who wanted to improve living conditions for everyone. This included making it possible for all people to be able to afford to send letters to their friends and families.
He believed that if more people were able to send letters, then more people would learn to read and write which would greatly improve their lives.
Young Rowland Hill:
He was born in 1795 in Kidderminster, near Birmingham. He had five brothers and sisters. His parents encouraged them to be inventive and question everything.
In the 1830s there were many things which people thought needed changing, such as who could vote and what kind of education should be available to boys and girls.
At first, Rowland worked as a teacher in his father’s school but he really wanted to come up with new ideas to change the way people lived.
Rowland Hill's big idea:
In 1837 he wrote an important booklet called Post Office Reform. He wanted to change the way people paid for postage. People used to have to pay a certain amount depending on how many sheets of paper they used and how far the letter travelled. This was very expensive.
Rowland wanted to make postage cheaper, so that people paid for the letter by weight. His idea was that it should only cost one penny to send a letter. This would normally be paid for by the person who sent the letter.
In 1839 he was asked to oversee the work of introducing the world’s first postage stamp. The stamp was called the Penny Black and went on sale in 1840.
Old Rowland Hill:
Rowland Hill did a lot more than just introduce the postage stamp. In 1846* [the year of the Barnard Castle Delivery list above] he became the Secretary to the Postmaster General. Then in 1854 he became the Secretary to the whole Post Office oragnisation. This meant he could make bigger changes such as introducing the Post Office Savings Bank to encourage all people to save.
Rowland Hill died in 1879 and was buried in Westminster Abbey in London - a great honour and a mark of how important his work had been. His ideas still have an impact on how we live today.
Barney 'Old' Town Walks, plotted circa 1960, using pins and cotton thread.
BOWES in Bulmer's Directory of 1890.
Post: William Hutton Postmaster of Bowes Post Office. Letters arrive via Darlington at 8-30 a.m., and are despatched at 5-20 p.m. No Sunday business. Postal Orders are issued. Letters for Bowes Cross and farms south of Kilmond Scar, come via Boldron and Barnard Castle.
1
8
5
1
[P.O. Middleton-in-Teesdale]
S
t
a
i
n
d
r
o
p
1
8
3
5
COUNTY of DURHAM 1857.
M
a
i
L
R
o
a
d
s
*
[Staindrop]
*
*
*
Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurances pg 366 1837.
* What - deliveries only four days-a-week!!!
Does the Regulator know?
1885 to 1892
WE are thankful to Denis Kidd of the Barnard Castle and District History Society for supplying the following images. They are taken from 'The Death and Life of a Dales Community: Harwood in Teesdale' by John Robinson, 1999.
[A copy of the book can be found in the Durham County Record Office Deposit: Record Office Library - Section B (Durham Places) B 187
Parkin Raine - Teesdale in old photographs: a second selection
Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 1994 B 185 is also on deposit in the Durham County Record Office Library.
A two seater double horse grasscutter in front of the Trinafour Post Office, Harwood.
'Unthank' - derelict and long since a delivery point, is detailed on the Barnard Castle January, 1846 Delivery schedule above.
Elsie Anderson in front of the Post Office, Raby Terrace, Harwood.
RABY TERRACE consisted of four wooden houses built in the early 1870's.
The Royal Mail has been moving mails since 1635.
The original means of transport was the stage or mail coach that had a mail compartment as well as carrying a guard. These coaches criss-crossed the country conveying mail between major centres.
This print is of the Glasgow to London mail coach.
GEORGE INN, GRETA BRIDGE (1828)
‘The Glasgow Royal Mail leaves the George Inn for the South at Half past One o’clock in the Morning; and for the North at Half-past Eleven o’clock at Night’.
The publican, George Martin, first of all ran the inn called the ‘George and Dragon’ to the West of the River Greta, he then moved to the original ‘Morritt's Arms’ (he was there for twelve years) built on the East bank of the River Greta as a coaching inn by the Morritt family of Rokeby, in approx 1756, and he renamed it ‘The George’ as recorded by Dickens (maybe he left his ‘dragon’ behind at the present Morritt Arms!). Later, George Martin moved to be landlord of ‘The New Inn’ a mile to the east of Greta Bridge and re-named that ‘The George and New Inn’. Source: Peter Gilbertson of The Coach House, Greta Bridge.
George Coaching Inn 1805 by John Sell Copman
Postman's Collection Card P 734 Barnard Castle Route
Postman's Collection Card P 734 Darlington Rural Route
Properties used by War Department in the Great War.
War Office / Lands and Buildings Reconstruction Committee / List of Lands and Buildings in the occupation of the War Department 1st June 1918 - Northern Command.
Properties marked with an asterisk were either owned by or leaded by the War Department prior to the commencement of the war. All other properties have been taken over since 4th August 1914. Barnard Castle:
Accommodation of Troops: * Barracks; Holmhurst, Galgate; 6 Montalbo Terrace; Railway Hotel (Room); 64 Spring Grove; The Mill; Thorngate Mission Schools; Victoria Hall.
Accommodation of Horses: Commercial Hotel (Stable); Flatts Lane (Stables); King’s head Hotel; Raby Hotel (Stables); Spring Lodge (Stables); Star Hotel (Stables); The Vicarage.
Offices: 2 The Bank; 41 The Bank; 15 Market Place; Wood Street.
Various: Galgate (Forge); *Land; Witham Testimonial Buildings (Canteen and Institute).
* Later the Flatts stables were to become garages for the mail vans in the top yard of the Post Office.
Richard Greene, from Australia, wrote in our Guestbook:-
Feb 7 2008 02:30 am
I forgot to mention there are some excellent photos of Teesdale Postman in the book called ‘The People's History of Barnard Castle and the Tees Valley’ by Tom Hutchinson. Amongst other clear ones in the book is a photo of John Walton ‘Postie Walton’ on his horse circa 1895. It is on page 20. He was born about 1860 in Middleton-in-Teesdale. He is not the younger John/Jack Walton also referred to on your site.
Regards, Richard Greene.
[If only we could get our hands on a copy of the book...
Jim Mctaggart came up trumps with the book and, after contacting Tom Hutchinson, he supplied a print of 'Postie' Walton on horseback. Many thanks to you both!]
Feb 7 2008 01:06 am
Hello from Australia.
A John Walton was the Rural Postie in Middleton-in-Teesdale from about 1889 until 1921 - I believe.
John was a son of Nancy Wholah Walton and Joseph Walton. His mother Nancy Walton died in 1905 and is buried in St Marys Middleton-in-Teesdale. I believe he used to ride a horse around the delivery route. He lived at one time next to his mother at 18/19 Chapel Lane (both houses still there in July 2007). [Address should read: Chapel Row.]
Nancy was the sister of my Great Grandfather John Wholah who came to Australia.
From Richard Greene.
Tom writes:
'Postie' Walton - photo from William (Billy) Swinbank of Mickleton.
The caption on page 20 reads:-
'Middleton - back to less serious matters. 'Postie' Walton on his round a long time ago!
Postal relics form display - from the Echo archive, first published Thursday 5th Jan 2006.
POSTAL workers have set up a history display that has intrigued customers so much they hope to enlarge it.
A delivery list dating back to 1846 is included along with photographs, some more than a century old, on the walls of the office in Barnard Castle.
The picture above features 20 staff lined up outside the town's post office in 1900, when it was based on The Bank, in what is now Connelly's toy shop.
Another from the same era shows five postmen who covered the widespread area around Winston, three of them on bicycles.
Dave Charlesworth, the delivery office manager, said: "The display is causing a lot of interest, with some callers able to pick out their grand- fathers or other relatives who delivered the mail.
"We hope now to find some other photographs of postmen from decades gone to add to the collection. We would like to hear from anyone who has some pictures or any other postal relics."
The list showing scores of addresses on the delivery rounds in 1846 intrigues many people, because a lot of the places have now disappeared, and there is no indication of which part of Teesdale they were in.
Among the properties that can no longer be found is one called Thrive If Thee Can.
There is speculation that this could have been a small farm or mine from which it was difficult to make a living.
Other puzzlers include Ash Bust House, Dyons, Spank-holme and Lopez.
Fred Fawcett, who has been a postman for 37 years and now looks after the inquiry office, said: "I've delivered mail in every part of Teesdale at different times, but I've no idea where some of these old places were. It would be good if anyone can let us know."
One address on the list is Cauldron Snout, the waterfall in the upper dale.
"I can't imagine why anyone would want to send mail to the waterfall," said Mr Fawcett. "As far as I know there has never been anyone living close to it."
Other now-forgotten locations listed include Cold Thorn, Batters Row, Corbush, Way-but Egg-pot and Fend-rath Hall.
Most of the postmen had to walk many miles every day before bicycles came into use, but some may have travelled on horseback or by pony and trap.
Today's postal staff feel that as the display grows it will be a fitting tribute to the workers who ensured the mail got to all parts of Teesdale in all weathers in the past.
The size of the Teesdale area has been reduced, with some outlying parts now being covered from Richmond or Bishop Auckland, but the delivery team still have to cover many miles every day.
* pictured below
Tom writes:-
The Winston postmen photo is from a guy called Mike Stow of Gainford.
On page 1 of Tom Hutchinson's book 'Barnard Castle and the Tees Valley' - Winston postmen ready to deliver the mail around the time of the First World War.
Barnard Castle postcode boundary covering the DL12 area.
Hannah -
THE COMPLETE STORY
Cover photo by Barry Cockcroft
Hannah Hauxwell opens her prodigious mail.
Page 68 of Barry Cockcroft's book - SEASONS of MY LIFE chapter 3 - 'Too Long a Winter' refers:-
"Perhaps the most confused man in the Yorkshire Dales during the first frantic days after the first transmission [on Yorkshire Television] was the Baldersdale postman. If anyone ever deserved a hardship bonus, it was him. The people at the GPO were remarkably efficient [as always], since letters addressed as vaguely as 'The Old Lady in the TV Programme, Somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales' were faithfully delivered".
Tommy's Bus: Before the war, Tommy Oliver ran a bus service for the people of Baldersdale. Every Wednesday he ran from the head of the dale to Barnard Castle parking up near the Post Office.
The last trip on Tommy's bus was to the Lake District after which he and his wife retired to take on the Post Office at Romaldkirk before the outbreak of WW2. Tommy performed the delivery whilst his wife looked after the Post Office.
Even the GPO in Leeds had to make special arrangements to cope with the volumes delivering bulging mail bags direct to the production team.
Hannah was astounded at the amount of mail that arrived - too much really, because she could not deal properly with it all and was worried in case people thought her impolite.
One day in 1977 a rather special envelope arrived inviting her to be a guest of honour at the Woman of the Year lunch at the Savoy Hotel in London.
Even after Hannah 'retired' in 1989 to her cottage in Cotherstone the mail continued to pour in - from more than one continent!
Hannah off to collect her pension at Cotherstone Post Office.
May 6, 1840: Queen Victoria Gets Stamped
• By Randy Alfred
• May 6, 2009.
1840: Britain starts using adhesive postage stamps, with the “penny black” stamp allowing prepayment of postal rates at a fixed — and low — rate. The idea will stick.
King Henry I of England started a system of royal messengers in the 12th century, and subsequent monarchs improved and expanded the service. Henry VIII formally established the Royal Mail in 1516, but it was not until 1635 that Charles I made the service available to the public.
It was possible to prepay postage, but mostly it was the recipient’s responsibility to pay the fees. If the recipient refused to accept delivery, the Royal Mail couldn’t collect, and it lost plenty of revenue that way. Railroads were spreading across Britain in the 1830s and ’40s, which made a rapid national mail service both possible and, because of the increased commerce in goods, necessary.
A reformer named Rowland Hill started campaigning in 1837 for a cheap, pay-in-advance system that would make the mails available to everyone and help British commerce in the bargain. He proposed the rate of one penny (about 40 cents in current U.S. money). Proof of payment would either be prepaid stationery or a label printed on “a bit of paper just large enough to bear the stamp, and covered at the back with a glutinous wash.” In other words, an adhesive postage stamp.
Parliament passed a postal reform bill in 1839, and Hill became an adviser to the Treasury, which supervised the financial operations of the Royal Mail. A national contest to design the first stamps drew thousands of entries.
The ultimate design was the ‘penny black’ stamp, good for use throughout Britain on May 6 of the following year. The ‘tuppenny blue’ stamp, for letters weighing more than the standard half-ounce, debuted a few days later.
They both featured a portrait of Queen Victoria, then at the start of a six-decade reign. All subsequent British stamps have shown the head of reigning monarch, either as the main subject or as a smaller reverse or relief design.
The stamps came in sheets of 240, corresponding to the number of pence in a pound sterling in the pre-1971 pound-shilling-pence currency system. The Royal Mail replaced the penny black with penny red stamps in 1841, largely because the black stamps were too easy to counterfeit, and the black ink hid postmarks, so people could — and did— reuse canceled stamps. Postal customers had to cut the sheets with scissors or knives, because the Royal Mail didn’t start issuing sheets with perforations until 1854.
The stamps were an instant success. Postal traffic doubled in the first year and quadrupled by 1850. The system was widely copied and spread to more than 150 countries by 1880.
Some accounts say the idea, if not the reality, of adhesive postage stamps originated earlier in Austria, Sweden or maybe Greece. But British stamps, to this day, are the only ones in the world that need not name the country of origin: The monarch’s head suffices.
