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ELIZEBETH
WHISSELL, address unknown, is named as postmistress in 1790 (Evesham
Journal 1966). I have no documentary proof of this. The Whissells were a well-known
Alcester family: a George Whissell was vitualler at the ‘Swan’ from 1788
to 1792 and maybe she was his wife or near relation. The ‘Swan’ was a
likely place for the post office then.
In
1808 at Warwick Lenten Assizes Job Edkins, aged 18, was charged with
embezzling a letter containing bills and drafts while being employed as a post boy on the
mail run between Stratford-Upon-Avon and Alcester. He was convicted and sentenced to 18
months in the House of Correction and fined 1/-. The judge told him that he could have
suffered death if he had been capitally indicted but because of his youth he had been
dealt with leniently (Warwick Advertiser). MARY ANN BARNHURST was then
postmistress.
In
1812 JOHN STEPHENS is mentioned as postmaster in a document (Warwick
Record Office) ‘in the King’s Bench between Joseph Blandy plaintiff and
John Stephens defendant. John Stephens (of Alcester) post master asketh oath and saith
that this action is brought against deponent’. Blandy apparently brought action
against J.S. for not paying duties on horses; this is J.S.'s admission and agreement
between them. Stephens was owner and innkeeper at the ‘Swan’ from 1792 to 1843,
owner of the ‘Dog and Partridge’, farmed Cold Comfort Farm in Arrow, owned land
at Haselor, Aston Cantlow, Stratford and inkberrow. He was an Overseer of the Poor,
responsible for coaches on the London to Kidderminster route and married a widow, Dinah
Harrison in 1790 in Alcester (Reg.175). He had no children and died in 1847, aged 87 (Warwick
Record Office).
In
March, 1813, acting on a report by Francis Freeling, Secretary to the Post
Office, approval was given for the allowance of £154.12.0 for two daily rides from
Stratford to Alcester, Stratford to Warwick and Stratford to Kineton, done by one person,
to be increased to £191.l6.0 per annum. Duties on the horses to be included. Lower terms
could not be had if there were no perquisites from the carriage of parcels (Post
Office Archives).
In
1821 Mrs.MARY TERRILL is shown as postmistress. Letters arrived from
Stratford by mail gig at 9 a.m. and were despatched at 4 p.m. (Pigots Trade Directory).
There is some doubt which Mary Terrill this is: a ‘Mary Terrill’ is shown in the
Alcester Marriage Registers as a signatory witness to three weddings:-
1789 - Thomas Terrill and Mary Crow (John Stephens
also a witness) Reg.164
1790 - John Stephens and Dinah Harrison Reg.175
1795 - John Terrill and Ann Stephens (John
Stephens’s sister) Reg.52 (Warwick Record Office)
She must either have been a close friend or relation of John Stephens
and I feel that Stephens would pass the post office duties over to her, probably soon
after 1812, rather than to Mary Terrill,nee Crow.
In
May, 1828, Freeling forwarded a petition to the Post Mast ers General from
Alcester, Kidderminster and Broseley for a mail coach to pass through these places. This
included signatures of many local people, including the Rectors of Arrow and Alcester.
Freeling wrote:—
But on the first consideration it appeared probably that
the old Shrewsbury Mail Coach might turn off at Stratford and pass through Alcester,
Redditch, Bromsgrove .... to Shrewsbury, if the Coach Masters should think it agreeable to
their interests. They have been consulted and are not unwilling. (Post Office
Archives)
This was approved but does not seem to have been implemented.
In
November, 1828, Mrs.Mary Terrill, who lived alone, was tragically burnt to
death, her clothing having caught fire while she was undressing downstairs. She was 63
years old and had kept the post office for many years and was greatly respected.
Mrs.Terrill was the second aged female to have been burnt to death in Alcester within four
months (Warwick Advertiser)
In
1829, Freeling wrote to the Post Master General: The whole of the
inhabitants of Alcester having refused to continue to pay the gratuity of a halfpenny on
the delivery of letters. The sub deputy having for more than six months been obliged to
pay out of her small salary of £32 a year the sum of 5/- a week or £13 per annum for
delivering the letters twice a day.
It was recommended that she be relieved from this expense by allowing that sum for the
service. This was approved, signed ‘MANCHESTER’ (Post Office Archives)
CHARLOTTE
ARCHER succeeded as postmistress. In 1835 letters from London and the
South arrived by mail cart from Strat ford-Upon-Avon every morning at nine and were
despatched every afternoon at four. Letters from Birmingham and the North arrived at 4
p.m. and despatched at 9 a.m.
© John Donaldson 1988 - Alcester & District Local History Society