idea of a local service seems to have originated
with a Mr. Robert Murray; but the London local post was actually
established by William Dockwra, "a merchant, a Native and Citizen of
London, formerly one of his Majesty's Sub-Searchers in the Custom House
of London." Other citizens of London were concerned in the undertaking,
which was established without reference to the authorities of the Post
Office, and was intended to be purely a private commercial
undertaking.[531]

Under Dockwra's scheme London, with Westminster and the suburbs, was
divided into seven districts or "precincts," in each of which was a
"sorting house." Scattered over the City and suburbs were from four
hundred to five hundred receiving houses for the taking-in of letters.
Messengers called at the houses for letters every hour. Letters and
parcels not exceeding 1 pound in weight or [L]10 in value were accepted
and conveyed at the uniform charge of 1d., payable in advance.

The service was not restricted to letters for delivery within the London
area and the surrounding district. Letters which were to be transmitted
through the General Post[532] were accepted at any of the receiving
offices, and conveyed to the General Post Office in Lombard Street; and
letters received in London by the General Post were delivered by the
penny post, if for places outside the General Post delivery.[533] This
facility proved of much advantage to the public, and led to a large
increase in the number of General Post letters. When well established,
Dockwra's new system proved profitable and attracted the attention of
the authorities of the General Post Office. They contended that the
service was an infringement of the monopoly conferred on the
Postmasters-General by the Act of 1660,[534] and in 1683, at the
instance of the Duke of York, in whom were vested the profits of the
General Post Office, an action was brought against Dockwra to restrain
him from continuing a breach of the privilege of the
Postmasters-General. Dockwra was ordered by the court to pay nominal
damages, and was forbidden to continue his penny post.

The post was not, however, abolished, but was taken over and managed by
the Postmasters-General. Although the service had been decided to fall
within their monopoly, the rates charged rested on no legal authority.
No statute authorized the conveyance anywhere of letters at the rate of
1d. No authority existed for any rate below the minimum General Post
rat