Portal:Philately/Selected biography archive/6



Henry Bishop (1611–1691) was Postmaster General of the United Kingdom and inventor of the first postmark used on mail. In 1660, at The Restoration, Henry Bishop paid £21,500 per year to farm the Post Office for a term of seven years. Bishop was the first officially appointed Postmaster General to Charles II, but within a year of taking office he was accused of abuses. Bishop gave up the remainder of his lease to Daniel O'Neill.

The "Bishop Mark", which takes his name, introduced in 1661, was designed to show the date on which a letter was received by the post and to ensure that the dispatch of letters would not be delayed.