Sir Rowland Hill

Issue Date: 31st August 2004







“Father of Penny Postage” – the man who brought the Empire together.

This stamp issue, to be released on 31st August 2004, commemorates the 125th Anniversary of the death of Sir Rowland Hill, the distinguished postal reformer and later Secretary to the Post Office, who brought about the introduction of a Uniform Penny Postage rate for Great Britain in 1840. There had been strong pressures for postal reform in the 1830’s when postage was calculated according to the distance and the number of sheets in a letter with payment normally met by the addressee. Hill was at the forefront of the campaign for reform and was particularly concerned that senders of letters were unaware of the cost which acted as a deterrent and resulted in some rejection of letters at the point of delivery.

In a pamphlet published in 1837 entitled “Post Office Reform: Its Importance and Practicability” Hill advocated pre-payment of postage by means of adhesive labels at a uniform rate. Following consideration of the proposals by a Select Committee who reported favourably on them Parliament agreed to the reforms. The first penny stamp was issued on 6 May 1840. Hill was appointed by the Treasury to supervise the introduction of the reforms.

Postage stamps were introduced in the Falkland Islands in June 1878 but the cost of writing home to friends and family remained high and was clearly a deterrent for the growing stream of immigrants from Britain. However, in common with other Colonies, the Falklands were to benefit from the sustained and unstinting pressure in Parliament and the Press of a later postal reformed, the Member of Parliament Sir John Henniker-Heaton.

Inspired by Rowland Hill’s Uniform Penny Postage in Britain, Henniker-Heaton sought to extend it throughout the British Empire. Sir John had himself been an emigrant from Britain, travelling to Australia at 16. He had experienced the problems of keeping in touch with home at a reasonable cost. In Parliament he stressed the need to provide the best possible communication between the Home Country and her Colonies and Dominions and that penny postage should not be bound by “the seas that wash our shores”.

He had hoped to achieve his aim during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee year in 1897 but succeeded in 1898 when, on Christmas Day, Falkland Islanders could write home at a cost of one penny, the same as the internal rate. His image and that of the one penny stamp used at the time, appear on the first day cover that accompanies this fine set.

The Henniker-Heaton link with the Falklands continued when Sir John’s son, Herbert, became firstly the Colonial Secretary (1921-1925) and the Governor (1935-1941). Herbert’s daughter Anne married Norman Keith Cameron of Port San Carlos, East Falklands, in 1945 and their children have made significant contributions to island affairs, Sukey being the current Government representative in London and Jane being the Government Archivist in Stanley.

24p: 2s 6d Queen Victoria

The first large postage stamps were issued in the Islands in 1898, values 2s. 6d. and 5s. The 2s. 6d. value reproduced in this issue won an international award as the “Most Beautiful Stamp in the World” and attracted many collectors to the Falkland Islands although it’s use was primarily for Government revenue purposes and the heavy mail packages of the Falkland Islands Company. Recess printed by Bradbury Wilkinson in a quantity of 6,000 it’s design formed the basis for all subsequent high value stamps of the Falklands during the reigns of King Edward VII and King George V until 1929.

50p: 5s. Penguin.

The Centenary of British Administration of the Falkland Islands occurred in 1933 and was marked by the issue in January 1933 of a set of 12 postage stamps featuring pictorial designs principally by George Roberts, the Colonial Engineer. These beautiful stamps received worldwide acclaim and one of the most attractive was the 5s. value featuring a King Penguin. The penguin population on the Islands is exceptional but although thought to have been fairly common at the time of early settlement the breeding numbers of King Penguins are now low, following early uncontrolled demand for its oil. It is now fully protected.

75p: 5s. Sea Lion

The prestigious ranking (philatelic ally) of the Falkland Islands was established by the quality of the printing and design of the stamp issues. The 1938 pictorial definitive issue, the first of the reign of George VI, enhanced this reputation with almost half of the designs featuring wildlife for which the Islands are acclaimed. The 75p value reproduces the 5s. value of the 1938 set and shows a Sea Lion which is relatively common in the Islands, breeding between late December and late January.

£1: 6d Battle of the Falklands – Error

The 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Falkland Islands was commemorated in 1964 by the issue of 4 postage stamps. The overwhelming naval victory by a British Squadron under the command of Admiral Sturdee had a significant influence on the 1914-1918 war and is commemorated to this day with a Public Holiday. This exceptional error resulted from 1 sheet printed with the vignette of HMS Glasgow (for the 2d value) being misplaced with those printed with the vignette of HMS Kent. When the second stage of the printing process took place the single sheet showing HMS Glasgow received the background printing of HMS Kent and a value of 6d. Despite the stringent security measures applied by the printers, De La Rue and Co Ltd, the error came onto the market and was first noticed in North America in 1970. The owner had purchased the set in 1965 and noticed that it featured HMS Glasgow on 2 values, assuming this to be quite normal. It was only later, after reading an article in a British Philatelic Magazine, that he realised that he had a major error on his hands. To date no more than 20 examples of this stamp have come to light. Demand for this error is reflected in it’s market value, nearly “£20,000.

We acknowledge with thanks the assistance of The British Library for allowing us to reproduce stamps from the Philatelic Collection



Technical details:-

Designer: Andrew Robinson
Stamp Reproductions: By Permission of the British Library
Printer: Cartor Security Printing, France
Process: Lithography (Stochastic Screen)
Perforation: 13 per 2cms
Stamp size: 31.5 x 48mm
Sheet Layout: 50 (2x25)
Release date: 31 August 2004





Copyright: FI Philatelic Bureau Created and Maintained by: Cyberpoint Limited