Rowland Hill
Videos
Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his solut
Rowland Hill photo crop
Sir Rowland Hill, mid-19th century
1 Orme Square, Bayswater, London, W2, Hill's home 1839–42
Commemorative plaque at 1 Orme Square, Bayswater, London
Penny Black
Videos
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May. The stamp fe
Rowland Hill
…would send more of them, thus eventually profits would go up. Proposing an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage – with the first being the Penny Black – in 1840, the first year of Penny Post, the number of letters sent in the UK more than doubled. Within 10 years, it had doubled again. Within three…
Penny black
A Penny Black, with a red cancellation that was hard to see and easily removed
Large mint block of the Penny Black
The Jacob Perkins' press, which printed the Penny Black and the 2d Blue, in the British Library Philatelic Collections