Individuals

The BPMA collections contain numerous objects that can help us find out more information about particular individuals.

Some objects belonged to people who we already know a lot about because they were important people in the Post Office. These people might also have records in the Archives (see Individuals in the Archive collection section).

Other objects belonged to ordinary postal workers. These help us to understand life and work in the Post Office. The objects
provide a link to real people and their experiences.

Here are four examples of objects that relate to particular Individuals:

Rowland Hill Presentation Casket, 1879, accession number: OB1994.309

This casket was made to contain the document granting Sir Rowland Hill the Freedom of the City of London in 1879. Hill was too ill to attend the customary ceremony at Guildhall. The honour was therefore presented to him in his sickroom. He died just a few weeks later.

The casket is decorated with an engraving of the Mulready envelope design, with an enamel Penny Red at its base.

Albert Leech's sports membership cards 2005-0292/13

These are membership cards for the Manchester Post Office Sports and Social Club, and the Civil Service Sports Council. They belonged to Albert Leech.

Leech was a Postman at Salford GPO for over 50 years. He started as a telegraph boy in 1927, aged 14. 

These cards are part of a larger collection of objects, the Albert Leech collection. This was donated to the BPMA in 2005 by Mr Leech’s cousin, Elizabeth Walker, following his death in 2000 at the age of 87.

Ethel Foyle-Clark's Civil Service & Commercial College Medal 2007-0062

Ethel Foyle won this medal for first place in the Open Competition for Woman Clerks at the GPO in September 1903.

Open Competition was a competitive examination method of recruitment. It was used by the Post Office from the late nineteenth century.

Ethel was employed by the Post Office for only a short time. The Establishment books record that she began work on 12th December 1903 as a Clerk, second class, in the Money Order Department, Postal Order Branch. She is listed until 1911.

Anthony Trollope’s signature stamp

This handstamp bears the signature of Anthony Trollope, who became a famous novelist.

A signature stamp is a good way to save time for someone with numerous documents to sign. 

Trollope worked for the Post Office for 33 years. He began in the Secretary’s Office in 1834. After seven years, he became a clerk’s surveyor in Ireland.

He spent a lot of time travelling around, working for the Post Office and writing his novels. Our collection also contains a writing slope belonging to Trollope.

Go to Post Office People

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