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