These notes are part of a lengthy study of the early postal history of Sandgate gathered from the Royal Mail Archive and local historical secondary sources.     

A receiver at Sandgate is first recorded in 1794 with the establishment of the military camp above Sandgate (known now as Shorncliffe). An application was made to open a communication between Canterbury and Folkestone Camp.

It was decided that deliveries to Shorncliffe to be ‘accelerated by an hour’ and ‘a little bag to Sandgate’ would fulfil the need, with two Guineas to be paid to both the Receivers at Sandgate and Lydd, also an increase in salary made to the postmasters at Folkestone, Hythe and Romney.

In 1807 Earl Darnley having built Belle Vue at Enbrook made an application for a regular Post Office & London Bag to be established in Sandgate, as a result the Postmaster General recommended a Receiving house be appointed at Sandgate with a salary of Forty Shillings per annum.

From an account of 1807 by John Boxer, the Folkestone deputy post master it is clear that a letter delivery was made house to house at Sandgate; who stated that he delivered the letters himself by ‘eleven o’clock at the latest’. With a Widow Hogben acting as the receiver, taking in letters for the inhabitants at one penny each to be forwarded by the postman when he arrives at half past four. It is not recorded how long this arrangement lasted nor where the receiving house was.

 It is possible that the widow Hogben was still the receiver in 1814 when the first post office at Sandgate was set up and a delivery service was formally approved by the Postmaster General, and a bag was to be made up at Folkestone, conveyed to Sandgate by the ‘Ride to Hythe and Romney’ and a salary of £14 per annum was to be paid to the Receiver at Sandgate ‘to make a proper delivery’. This application for the penny post was supported by the Earl of Darnley and also William Wilberforce who came to Sandgate in 1812 to rest and recover his health.

At some point after August 1814 handstamps were put into use for the Folkestone Penny Post. Letters received at Sandgate began to be stamped with the office No. 1 with the Folkestone Penny Post handstamp being applied at the post town at Folkestone; with the earliest recorded letter with this hand stamp being 13 October 1814, written by William Wilberforce to his friend J. S. Hartford of Bristol. The No 1 handstamp continued to be used until the early 1840s.

Free postage was granted to all Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords (at this time it was the hereditary peers along with the C of E bishops who made up the membership of the House of Lords).  However because of the Court ruling, if letters were endorsed Free and bore a signature of the Member of the House of Commons or Lords and were handed to the receiver at Sandgate and went into the Penny Post between Sandgate and Folkestone they could be charged the 1d for the Penny post delivery to Folkestone, but not for the General Post delivery between Folkestone and the final destination; to make this clear, when the letter arrived at London the letters were stamped at the GPO ‘TO PAY 1d ONLY’ so when the letter arrived at its destination the recipient only had to pay the charge for the Penny Post.

Postal charges on all letters during this period were paid by the recipient, there was no prepayment until the first adhesive labels (the 1d black ‘stamps’) were introduced in 1840.

William Wilberforce was a member of Parliament so enjoyed free postage.

There are no records to show who managed the post office at Sandgate from 1814. Thomas Purday was first listed as postmaster in Pigot’s directory of 1823/24.  The same directory lists Thomas Purday running a library and reading room and in business as a bookseller, stationer and wine merchant, the premises being located adjacent to the west side of the Ship Inn. It can be assumed and likely that the post office was located at the same premises.

This ‘Tale’ has been put together by Jill Partridge with generous help from Richard Cross.