When was the first envelope sent?
The first ENVELOPE known to have been sent in British was used to enclose a letter addressed to Sir William Turnbull, Secretary of State Sir James Ogilvie on 16 May 1696. It measured only 41 x 3 inch and is preserved at the Public Record Office. The first Prepaid Envelopes for the use of the General Public were introduced to coincide with the issue of adhesive stamps on 6 May 1840.
The first Embossed Envelopes were issued by the GPO on 29 January 1841. Gummed Envelopes were introduced in Britain in 1844, and according to the testimony of a memoir written some 40 years later, provoked a number of affairs of honour precipitated by recipients who asserted that a man who sends his spittle through the post to another must expect to be called upon to give satisfaction in the traditional manner.
