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1. (19) Note _re_ Loose Letters, 23rd March, 1876. Bristol, 9th December, 1902. This old book relating to the Ship Letter Duty at Bristol was considered suitable for the Muniment Room at St. Martin's-le-Grand, as an historical record, and is retained there for preservation. It is considered fortunate that it has survived so long. As the public eye was for a long time directed towards the Redland Post Office, Bristol, which to meet the wants of the community has been located by the Department at No. 112, White Ladies Road, Black Boy Hill, and is carried on apart altogether from any trade or business, it may be well, in view of connecting links with the past being rapidly effaced in the march of modern progress, to take an historical retrospect of this local post office so far as evidence is forthcoming, and thus endeavour to put on record the traditions of the past. It would appear, then, according to the earliest evidence obtainable, that Mr. W. Newman had the appointment of postman and town letter receiver conferred upon him in 1827, offices which he held until 1872. The post office was carried on by him in a small house approached by garden and steps immediately adjoining the old King's Arms Inn, which stood on the site of the present Inn of that name. It was Newman's mission in those pre-penny stamp days to serve the wide and then open district bordered by Pembroke Road, White Ladies Gate, Cold Harbour Farm, Redland Green, Red House Farm, Stoke Bishop, Cote House, and Sea Mills. He delivered about 40 letters daily. The area owing to the growth of population and the spread of education, with the consequent development of letter writing, has now seven post offices; is served by no fewer than 30 postmen, and has a delivery of 14,000 letters. In Mr. Newman's early Post Office days mail coaches ran up and down Black Boy Hill on their way to and from the New Passage, and called at the Redland Post Office. Newman is said to have had a jackdaw. The bird, as the mail coach ran down the narrow road on Black Boy Hill, called "Mail, mail, quick, quick!" to attract his master's attention, and, waggish bird as he was, he not infrequently gave a false alarm, and called his master at the wrong time. After some years Mr. Newman moved with the Post Office to the east side of Black Boy Hill, to a house near the present Porter Stores. He was succeeded by Mr. Enoch Park. The next sub-postmaster was the late Mr. Buswell, who for some
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