Mail was delivered up to 12 times a day in Victorian England.

  • Postman, 1867
Postman, 1867
Credit: World History Archive/ Alamy Stock Photo
Author Michael Nordine

November 20, 2025

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Instant messaging may be a relatively new invention, but staying in touch in the 19th century wasn’t as difficult as you might expect. In Victorian England, for instance, mail delivery was near-constant — up to 12 times a day in London. In 1889, the first deliveries went out at 7:30 a.m. and the last at 7:30 p.m., with Londoners so used to instant gratification that many complained if a letter took more than two hours to arrive. Birmingham, England, meanwhile, received the post only six times a day — perish the thought.

This frequency was made possible in part by legislation that created a flat rate for postal service and introduced the first adhesive postage stamp, meaning people could send a letter weighing half an ounce or less to any destination in Britain for a penny. In the U.S., mail carriers heeded a clause in Section 92 of the 1873 Postal Laws and Regulations requiring them to make deliveries “as frequently as the public convenience may require.” In most places, that meant twice a day — a practice that ended for most residential areas in 1950, though some parts of New York City enjoyed twice-daily mail delivery until the 1990s. 

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Victoria was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch until Elizabeth II.

At 63 years and 216 days, Victoria’s reign as queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland spanned the better part of a century. She ruled from June 20, 1837, until her death on January 22, 1901. Just 18 years old when she took the throne, her tenure defined 19th-century England — and broke the record previously held by George III, whose 59-year reign (1760-1820) is best remembered in the U.S. for being on the losing side of a certain revolution. Queen Elizabeth II overtook Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on September 9, 2015, and held the throne another seven years after that. She died in 2022 at age 96 after serving for 70 years and 214 days.

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