William Forbes Mackenzie of Portmore House, Peeblesshire, 18 April 1807 - 24 September 1860. Member of Parliament for Peebles, 1837-52 and Liverpool, 1852-53. AN ORIGINAL PRE 1840 FREE FRONT; BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY FREE FRANK PANEL.
London: Houses of Parliament, Pre 1840. Very Good Condition. Item #365933
Free franks are hand stamped British parliamentary mail, issued from the 1650s to 1840. The free franking privilege was removed from parliamentarians in 1840 when Rowland Hill's postal reforms brought the postage stamp into use. Free franking had been intended to allow MPs to send letters free of charge, but the system was abused by MPs and fell into disrepute due to being used by friends and business associates of the Members. During the early 19th Century there was a mania for collecting these panels, which was accomplished by cutting the address panel from the envelope. The Free Front here is presented with a neatly prepared A4 data-sheet showing the details of the MP it is connected with. Category: Ephemera; Free Frank Panels.
Keywords: BZDB395 Ephemera; Free Frank Panels. William Forbes Mackenzie : AN ORIGINAL PRE 1840 FREE FRONT; BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY FREE FRANK PANEL. William Forbes Mackenzie of Portmore House, Peeblesshire, 18 April 1807 - 24 September 1860. Member of Parliament
Price: £14.95