In 1680, a merchant named William Dockwra organized the London Penny Post, which delivered mail anywhere in London for just one penny.
He also introduced the practice of postmarking letters to indicate when and where they had been posted.The penny post had seven post offices, and 400 collection boxes throughout London. Letters were delivered ten or twelve times a day in the centre of London, and four or five times in the suburbs. However, the penny post became so successful that the government took control of the operation in 1682, and absorbed it into the Post Office. From then on, charges gradually increased, and letters were no longer delivered for a penny.
