A social history

The rural postman was 'created' in the mid-19th Century when the Post Office decided to deliver mail to all homes in Britain - no matter how remote. Previously, people living in the countryside had to collect their mail from the village post office or pay extra for it to be delivered.  The rural postman was a separate and quite different position to the town postman. Routes were created (usually known as 'walks') across the UK to take in every home and business, including mining offices set in the Welsh hills or lighthouses perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop. These routes might be just four or five miles long but were often nearly 20 miles. There was supposed to be a limit of 18 miles but it is clear this was frequently surpassed. The longest I have come across to date was at Heptonstall in Yorkshire which involved he postman walking 30 miles each day. At the end of the 19th Century, bikes were offered to rural posties but for many these were of little use. First the bikes had no gears so climbing hills with a heavy bag of mail was incredibly difficult. Second, the rugged landscape often meant the bike could not be used. Some combined walking and cycling. In Eskdale, Cumbria, for example, the postman cycled along the bottom of the valley, then left his bike by a drystone wall and climbed onto the fell to deliver to the farms on top. 

Most routes were circular but there were also linear ones. The postman would deliver to all the homes on his Walk, then rest for a couple of hours before returning along the same route. On his return he would collect any mail (ie people's responses to their morning mail), sell stamps, postal orders etc. For this reason the postman rang a bell, blew a whistle or a horn. That way the villagers knew he was approaching and could come out to meet him. The two hours' rest for the postie was often in a postman's hut - a simple corrugated iron shed which had a pot-bellied stove and a wooden seat. There were thousands of these huts across the country at one time but today only a handful survive. 

The length of the routes and the working practices varied over the centuries and in different parts of the country. The fight for the rights of rural posties was a long and arduous one. Originally they had to buy their own boots, clothing etc and had no holidays. They delivered post on Christmas Day (unless it was a Sunday) until the early 1960s. The pay was meagre and was often supplemented by the postie taking on a second job. For instance, many rural posties also repaired shoes while 'resting' in their hut. Others would spend the time helping farmers in return for food a few more pennies. It was a tough life but it is clear that many enjoyed it. One Yorkshire postman spent his 'holiday' walking the same route he walked while he was working, boasting that at least he didn't have mail to carry! Many worked until they died of old age (I suspect few could afford to retire). They also felt a responsibility to deliver the mail. They were the Queen's (or King's) messenger and ploughed on even through freezing cold weather. More than one rural postie lost their lives in snow or impossible weather conditions.

It is clear that we owe these public servants a huge debt of gratitude. I am hoping that more communities will research their own local posties and create Walks which will allow the public to retrace their steps and think about the tough lives they led. You will find more about the rural posties in my book, The Postal Paths.