Free Frank
Encyclopedia
A Free Frank was a mark applied by means of a hand-stamp to parliamentary mail in Britain to indicate that the mailed item did not require postage. The privilege of free franking was granted to four different classes: Members of Parliament; peers sitting in the House of Lords; office-holders, largely as stipulated by Acts of Parliament; and to archbishops and bishops sitting in the House of Lords
. Requirement for free franking were that the mailed cover (letter or packet) had to be signed by the official sender. As a result free franks were avidly sought during the first three decades of the nineteenth century for autograph collections. This was accomplished by cutting out the front panels of the envelope which carried the inscriptions which were required under the use of this privilege. These panels are referred to by collectors as free fronts.
In 1840 as a result of various abuses and excesses that had plagued the British Post office for many years, Rowland Hill
's reforms brought an end to the Free franking privilege in 1840 when he introduced the postage stamp to Britain.
(MPs) were able to send letters free of charge, the cost being borne by the taxpayer.
The origin of the system was a decree of the Council of State of 1652 confirmed by an ordinance of 2 September 1654 during the Cromwellian period. Letters that were "for the service of the Commonwealth" were free of charge. Originally all that appeared on letters was the addressee, the word Frank or Free and the signature or seal of the sender. In the eighteenth century special marks started to be used, first in Dublin in 1706, and later in London and Edinburgh. The date of posting was introduced and more elaborate marks came into use.
, in 1741 the value of franked letters, if the correct postage had been charged, was over £50,000 and by the time of Allen's death in 1764 the annual value was £170,000.
In 1840 one of the reforms introduced by Rowland Hill was the elimination of the free franking privilege granted to members of parliament and other government officials. It was common for members of parliament to give out signed blank sheets of paper to friends and business associates on which they could write letters and mail them at no cost. Parliament members were even appointed to the boards of large companies in order that their mailings could make use of the free franking privilege.
Although free franking existed from the middle of the seventeenth century, it was not until 1764, when the Post Office revenues passed from the Crown to the State, that the first handstamp was introduced in England.
In 1764 an Act of Parliament
was passed to prevent abuses which included a penalty of transportation for seven years for anyone convicted of counterfeiting hand writing in order to send mail free of postage. By the 1830s around five million franks were used annually. The system eventually ended with the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post
in 1840.
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Requirement for free franking were that the mailed cover (letter or packet) had to be signed by the official sender. As a result free franks were avidly sought during the first three decades of the nineteenth century for autograph collections. This was accomplished by cutting out the front panels of the envelope which carried the inscriptions which were required under the use of this privilege. These panels are referred to by collectors as free fronts.
In 1840 as a result of various abuses and excesses that had plagued the British Post office for many years, Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill may refer to:* Rowland Hill , English Member of Parliament for the City of London* Sir Rowland Hill, 1st Baronet Hill of Hawkstone , built Hawkstone Park follies...
's reforms brought an end to the Free franking privilege in 1840 when he introduced the postage stamp to Britain.
Origins and use
Under the Parliamentary Franking System, members of the British ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(MPs) were able to send letters free of charge, the cost being borne by the taxpayer.
The origin of the system was a decree of the Council of State of 1652 confirmed by an ordinance of 2 September 1654 during the Cromwellian period. Letters that were "for the service of the Commonwealth" were free of charge. Originally all that appeared on letters was the addressee, the word Frank or Free and the signature or seal of the sender. In the eighteenth century special marks started to be used, first in Dublin in 1706, and later in London and Edinburgh. The date of posting was introduced and more elaborate marks came into use.
Abuses
The privilege was supposed to be for official business, however, the high cost of postage meant that it was widely abused. MPs sold their frank to businesses and franked the letters of constituents and relatives. Regulations about the number and weight of letters and other matters failed to stop the abuse of the system. According to Ralph AllenRalph Allen
Ralph Allen was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and was notable for his reforms to the British postal system. He was baptised at St Columb Major, Cornwall on 24 July 1693. As a teenager he worked at the Post Office. He moved in 1710 to Bath, where he became a post office clerk, and at the age...
, in 1741 the value of franked letters, if the correct postage had been charged, was over £50,000 and by the time of Allen's death in 1764 the annual value was £170,000.
In 1840 one of the reforms introduced by Rowland Hill was the elimination of the free franking privilege granted to members of parliament and other government officials. It was common for members of parliament to give out signed blank sheets of paper to friends and business associates on which they could write letters and mail them at no cost. Parliament members were even appointed to the boards of large companies in order that their mailings could make use of the free franking privilege.
Although free franking existed from the middle of the seventeenth century, it was not until 1764, when the Post Office revenues passed from the Crown to the State, that the first handstamp was introduced in England.
In 1764 an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was passed to prevent abuses which included a penalty of transportation for seven years for anyone convicted of counterfeiting hand writing in order to send mail free of postage. By the 1830s around five million franks were used annually. The system eventually ended with the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post
Penny Post
The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.-London Penny Post:In England, the Post Office had a monopoly on the collection and carriage of letters between post towns but there was no delivery system until the London Penny Post was...
in 1840.
Collecting
Free Frank marks are often found on early pre-stamp mail and are collected by philatelists and postal historians.International
Similar systems have been introduced in other countries. For instance, U.S. Congressmen are able to send mail free of charge by applying their signature, or frank, and the term "free frank" has been adopted for many different marks on mail indicating that no postage is to be charged. The President does not have the privilege; however, the Vice President as President of the Senate may use his signature to frank mail.Further reading
- Brumell, George. A Short Account of the Franking System in the Post Office, 1652-1840, The Bournemouth Guardian, 1936.
- Lovegrove, J.W. Herewith My Frank, published by the author, 2nd Ed. 1989.
- Scott, J.G.S. Official franking 1800-1840, The Postal History Society, London, 1983. ISBN 0853770158.
- Bottomley, Frank. The franking system in the Post Office 1652-1840, The Society of Postal Historians, 1988.