Sir Rowland Hill Courtesy of The British Postal Museum & Archive

The Rowland Hill Fund was established in 1882 as a memorial to the great postal reformer, and founder
of the modern postal service Sir Rowland Hill, who retired as Secretary of the Post Office in 1864.

Who was Rowland Hill?

Rowland Hill was born on 3^rd December 1795. In the early years of his career he was a teacher alongside his father. He transformed his father’s school and provided a model for education of the emerging middle classes. He then became Secretary of the South Australian Colonization Commission in 1833 and formed a convict free settlement, which embodied the best qualities of British society – this is now Adelaide.

Rowland Hill interested himself with postal reform due to the fraudulent, unfit for purpose system that existed. He adapted the postal system of the 1830s from one in which the recipient paid postage based on distance and number of pages at point of delivery. This was slow and inadequate. Mail could be refused unpaid and the cost based on distance model was not an accurate.

In the system proposed by Rowland Hill, the sender must pre-pay for the letter based on its weight.     The pre-payment would be shown using an adhesive stamp on the letter sheets. This is where the Penny Black was born. This system meant letters were cheaper to send. It was doubted and
mocked initially but after public support Rowland Hill was given a 2-year trial to run his system. The
amount of paid-for correspondence increased by 120% in the first 3 months of its implementation.
Rowland Hill succeeded in making the postal system more efficient and profitable.

Rowland Hill then moved to become a director and the chairman to the board of the London to Brighton
Railway. Rowland Hill lowered fares, expanded routes, offered special trains and increased the
comfort of the commute.

In 1846 Rowland Hill became Secretary to the Postmaster General and then Secretary to the Post Office.
Rowland Hill was knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1860. Rowland Hill died in
Hampstead, London in 1879.

Why was the Rowland Hill Fund created?

In 1882, the Post Office created the Rowland Hill Fund for postal workers, pensioners and their
dependants in need. This was in memorial to Rowland Hill and served to assist those colleagues
in times of need.

How has the Fund helped?

The Fund has steadily pursued its aim of providing relief from misfortune wherever it occurs
amongst Royal Mail colleagues, past and present. This is a high aim, which it has strived to achieve
and maintain from the earliest days of its existence, when it helped colleagues who fell on hard times
during Queen Victoria’s reign, through to the present day.

Over the years the Fund has helped thousands of individuals. In its early days before the existence
of the Welfare State or indeed the introduction of occupational pensions, organisations such as the
Fund were often the only place that individuals could turn when in financial distress. However, although
welfare provision is now an accepted part of society there is still financial distress, and the Rowland
Hill Fund is still a vibrant concern.

In 2007 the Fund dealt with 320 new cases, the diverse nature of help provided indicates that there is an
on going need for the financial support we give. In total we distributed over £300,000 throughout the year
in grant aid to current and retired staff. Also, we made 42 grants of £1,000 or more with 2 grants of £5,000.

Despite living in a prosperous society we encounter many situations which produce genuine difficulty for
individuals and their families. We are uniquely placed to help Royal Mail Group people in financial distress,
so if you feel that we can help you please contact us.