The founder of the system of prepaying postage by placing a small
label on one corner of the letter was Sir Rowland Hill. It was
first advocated by him in 1837, and stamps were first used by the
British Post-office May 6, 1840. They were introduced in the United
States in 1847. Sir Rowland was born at Kidderminster in 1795, and
died at Hampstead August 27, 1879, at the age of eighty-four.