An Historical Summary of the Post Office in Scotland

This work offers a concise yet thorough look at how Scotland’s mail system first emerged from medieval royal messengers—known as “nuncii” and “cursores”—who carried the king’s dispatches across the kingdom. It traces the gradual shift from these ad‑hoc couriers to the first recognisable “post” around the turn of the 16th century, when letters began to travel with unprecedented speed between courts and foreign envoys. Early examples, such as the 1515 correspondence from Stirling to Henry VIII, illustrate the practical challenges of long‑distance delivery in a pre‑modern world.

The narrative then follows the spread of municipal posts, highlighting Aberdeen’s 1590 council service and the 1635 government‑run link between London and Edinburgh that promised three‑day journeys for a fixed fee. Readers learn how political turmoil—civil war, the Commonwealth, and frequent waylayings—disrupted the network, prompting reforms that lowered rates and reorganised administration under figures like John Manley.

Concluding with the Restoration, the book details Charles II’s re‑appointment of key officials and the granting of a lifelong postmaster‑general office to Patrick Grahame. Throughout, the author draws on authentic records, giving listeners a clear picture of the early institutions that laid the foundation for Scotland’s modern postal service.