November 2010

Private Telegraph Companies The development of the telegraph system in the closely followed the growth of the railways with telegraph offices often being located at stations. A close relationship also existed between the two sets of companies with a great deal of crossover of names in the lists of shareholders and directors. The Government allowed the network to develop under private ownership and did not intervene significantly in its running. This was in sharp contrast to the telegraph system on the Continent which had been under state ownership since its inception. Electric Telegraph Company, main hall, c1848 (TCE 361/ARC 76) By 1868 there were five major Following this the number of telegraph companies operating submarine cables operated by the inland network, all of which private companies grew. were open to criticism BT Archives holds the records regarding errors, delays and of the companies which were high prices. Frank Ives subsequently taken over by the Scudamore campaigned on , while those that behalf of the Post Office for went on to form Cable & them to be nationalised citing Wireless are held at Porthcurno how unfavourably they Telegraph Museum. compared with those on the Continent. Despite These records were transferred protestations from the to BT Archives from the Post companies a series of Acts of Office in 1992. They were Parliament were passed and previously catalogued as part of the telegraph system came POST 81, but have been re- under control of the Post Office catalogued to reflect the in 1870. provenance of these companies and improve access The first successful submarine to these collections. Each (under sea) telegraph cable company now has its own was laid in 1851 between reference code. England and France.

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Inland private Company were made for companies were established by telegraph companies transmitting Greenwich Mean the EITC to lay submarine Time signals. cables from Weymouth to the The telegraph has been Channel Islands and from referred to as the ‘Victorian International Telegraph Cumberland to the . internet’ and from 1840s until Company (1853-55) The Channel Islands Telegraph 1860s it was a boom industry BT Archives ref: TGC Company (CITC) actively just like the early years of the The International Telegraph operated as a subsidiary of the internet. During this period Company was formed by the EITC until 1862 when repeated many telegraph companies Electric Telegraph Company in technical problems with the were formed in the UK, not all 1852. The ETC obtained a cable placed a strain on the of them were operational. It concession from the Dutch CITC’s resources and it was was common for them to merge Government in 1852 to lay ultimately unable to raise the with other companies and wires from Orfordness, on the funds to undertake the subsequently change their east coast of England, to necessary repairs. However, names. Scheveningham in Holland and the CITC continued to exist as an operating company until it A summary of the main inland then to The Hague. However, was taken over by the Post companies, whose records are the Dutch Government objected Office in 1870. held by BT Archives, is given to the Holland line of new submarine telegraph cable below, and a chart showing British Electric Telegraph relationships between the being made by the ETC, and so Company (1850-53) companies can be found on the International Telegraph BT Archives ref: TGB page 5. Company was formed to work with the Dutch Government. The British Electric Telegraph Electric Telegraph Company was formed by an This new company was Company (1846-55) Act of Parliament in 1850, and managed by the ETC using BT Archives ref: TGA used the patents of Henry and ETC staff and laid two cables in Edward Highton. It was The Electric Telegraph 1853 and 1854 from intended to rival the monopoly Company (ETC), the first Orfordness to Scheveningham. of the Electric Telegraph electric telegraph company in Company and had the Electric and International Britain, was established by an opportunity to do so due to the Telegraph Company (1855- Act of Parliament in 1846. It expanding railway system. was set up by William Fothergill 70) Cooke and Joseph Lewis BT Archives ref: TGE British Telegraph Company (1853-57) Ricardo using Cooke and In July 1855 the Electric BT Archives ref: TGL Charles Wheatstone’s patents. Telegraph Consolidation Act The ETC's major growth period enabled the ETC and ITC to In 1853 the British Electric coincided with the expansion of formally merge, becoming the Telegraph Company merged the railways in the 1840s by Electric and International with the European and providing electric Telegraph Company (EITC). American Electric Printing communication to the railways' By 1868 it was the largest Telegraph Company (1851-54) signal operators. The company telegraph company in the to form the British Telegraph grew rapidly with the realisation country. The company was Company. Its purpose was to of the electric telegraph's against nationalisation, lay down submarine and other potential for the transmission of however, the Telegraph Acts telegraph cables to link London news. In 1852 arrangements were passed and in 1870 it was and Dublin and major towns in between the ETC, the taken over by the Post Office. Great Britain, Ireland and Astronomer Royal and the Europe. In 1858 and 1859 independent South Eastern Railway

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English and Irish Magnetic survival of the UKETC and the not consider private wires, but Telegraph Company (1852- company was successful before the 1868 Select 57) despite attempts to hinder it by Committee the UPTC BT Archives ref: TGN the already established successfully argued that its The English and Irish Magnetic companies. It was taken over business would be seriously Telegraph Company was by the Post Office in 1870. damaged by being in founded by Royal Charter in competition with a nationalised 1852 to work the patents of London District Telegraph industry. It was subsequently William Thomas Henley and Company, also known as the taken over by the Post Office in London and Provincial David George Foster. It was 1870. Telegraph Company (1859- previously known as the 70) The road to Magnetic Telegraph Company BT Archives ref: TGG (1851-52). nationalisation The London District Telegraph The 1864 gave British and Irish Magnetic Company (LDTC) was Telegraph Company (1857- established in 1859, to develop the Postmaster General certain 70) telegraphic communication wayleave rights over public BT Archives ref: TGF within a radius of four miles roads and streets, and started more active state involvement In April 1857 the British from (London), in the telegraph network. Telegraph Company merged with provision to extend to 20 Wayleave payments were with the English and Irish miles. It employed a roof-to- made to railways, canals and Magnetic Telegraph Company roof wiring system, instead of turnpike trusts for the right of to form the British and Irish installing underground cables. way for telegraph lines. Magnetic Telegraph Company. For a short time in 1867 it It was subsequently taken over became the London and 1866 was a turning point in the by the Post Office in 1870. Provincial Telegraph Company development of the telegraph and was taken over by the Post system. A great storm in United Kingdom Electric Office in 1870. The impact of January caused widespread Telegraph Company (1851- the LDTC and the UKETC was damage to the network. This 70) to increase competition on the year also saw the start of BT Archives ref: TGH network. This led to lower consolidation rather than The United Kingdom Electric tariffs which in turn created expansion as the intention of Telegraph Company (UKETC) greater demand for telegraphic the Post Office to purchase the was established by Act of facilities. lines became known, reducing Parliament in 1851, but did not the incentive for the private start active operation until July Universal Private Telegraph companies to expand. Company (1861-70) 1860. Its intention was to BT Archives ref: TGJ In 1868 a Bill was introduced introduce a system based on with the intention of bringing the the penny post to convey The Universal Private telegraph system under the messages at a uniform rate of Telegraph Company (UPTC) control of the Post Office. By one shilling per message of was established by an Act of this time the network consisted twenty words. By the time it Parliament in June 1861, but of over 91,000 miles of wire, started operating other did not become fully operational transmitting 6 million inland telegraph companies were well until 1863. It undertook to messages annually. The established and it would have construct and maintain lines of telegraph companies were been difficult for a new private wire between places of leading opponents to the Bill company to compete at their business or between who saw the strong railway rates. The use of the one residences and businesses. interest in Parliament as their shilling rate was crucial to the Initially nationalisation plans did best chance of getting the bill

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rejected. taking place on 5 February. their records are not held by BT Following nationalisation of the Archives. The Bill itself showed little telegraph service in 1870, the understanding of the Submarine Telegraph Post Office went on to rapidly importance of the railway Company (1851-89) expand the UK telegraph interest, but the Government BT Archives ref: TGD network, particularly in more was determined to proceed with rural areas which had The Submarine Telegraph it. The press were generally in previously not been Company was founded in 1851 favour of the Bill because they and granted an exclusive commercially attractive to the disliked the monopoly that the concession by the French telegraph companies. telegraph companies exercised government to lay a cable from over news collection. The Isle of Man Telegraph England to France under the Company was nationalised in English Channel. The first The Bill was passed and cable was completed on 28 1870 under the Telegraph Acts became law on 31 July 1868. August 1850, but failed days Extension Act. In 1876-77 the The Telegraph Act 1868 gave later. A second cable was Orkneys and Shetland the Postmaster General the completed on 25 September Telegraph Company was 1851. From 1 February 1870, right to acquire and operate the inland telegraph systems in the UK, installed and operated by independent telegraph and railway companies. It was decided that the companies would be paid a sum equal to twenty years’ net profits for the year ended 30 June 1868. This system of calculating compensation was later criticised, because the figure was not yet known and open to abuse. The Telegraph Act 1869, which gained Royal Assent on 9 August, was passed before the 1868 Act could take effect. It Agamemnon laying the first successful Atlantic cable, 1858 conferred on the Postmaster (TCE 361/ARC 1373) General a monopoly in telegraphic communication in brought under Post Office the General Post Office shared the UK. Under this Act, the use control with the Scilly Islands revenues with the company and of all private wires except those Telegraph Company following took over operation of some of 'maintained for the private use in 1879-80. its cables including those in the North Sea. On 31 March 1889 of a corporation, company or International private the Submarine Telegraph person' became the monopoly Company went into voluntary of the Postmaster General. telegraph companies liquidation and the Post Office Overseas telegraphs, ie not the BT Archives holds the records took over its property on 1 April inland private telegraph 1889. for the following companies companies, did not fall within which operated overseas Irish Submarine Telegraph the monopoly. The scheduled telegraph services. Other Company (1852) date of transfer was 1 January companies also existed, but BT Archives ref: TGM 1870 with the actual transfer

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The Irish Submarine Telegraph Company was founded in 1852 by Royal Charter to establish electric telegraph communications between Britain and Ireland, but it is unclear whether this company actually became operational.

Anglo-American Telegraph Company Limited (1865- c1930) BT Archives ref: TGP The Anglo-American Telegraph Company Limited operated four transatlantic cables from Ireland and France to Canada and the USA, laid in 1869, 1873, 1874 and 1880.

Eastern Telegraph Company (1872-1929) BT Archives ref: TGK The Eastern Telegraph Company was founded in 1872 as an amalgamation of several smaller telegraph companies. It operated transatlantic cables to North and South America, as well as cables to Europe, Africa, the Middle and Far East, and Australasia. It subsequently merged with other international companies in 1929 and eventually became known as Cable & Wireless. Further information BT Archives also holds a range of library material (HIC 002/003) which provides a more detailed account of the development of the telegraph system. The records of other telegraph companies can be found within the UK at the Guildhall Library manuscripts section and Porthcurno Telegraph Museum.

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Chart of private inland telegraph companies

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Private Telegraph Companies Timeline

1837 On 25 July Cook and Wheatstone demonstrated their telegraph to the directors of the London and Birmingham Railway between Euston and Camden Town

1845 The first public telegraph line was opened in February between London and Gosport

1846 The Electric Telegraph Company was formed, the first telegraph company in Britain

1850 The British Electric Telegraph Company was formed by an Act of Parliament, a rival to the monopoly of the Electric Telegraph Company The United Kingdom Electric Telegraph Company was formed, but did not become operational until 1860

1851 The Submarine Telegraph Company was formed to operate cables to France

1852 The English and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company was granted a Royal Charter in April to provide links between England and Ireland

1853 The British Telegraph Company was formed through the merger of the European and American Electric Printing Company and the British Electric Telegraph Company

1855 The Electric and International Telegraph Company was formed through the merger of the Electric Telegraph Company and the International Telegraph Company in July

1857 The British and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company was formed through the merger of the English and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company and the British Electric Telegraph Company

1859 The London and District Telegraph Company was established to provide cheap telegraph communication for the capital

1861 The Universal Private Telegraph Company was formed, but did not become operational until 1863

1865 The Anglo-American Telegraph Company was formed to operate transatlantic cables

1868 The Telegraph Act of this year gave Her Majesty's Postmaster General the right to acquire and operate the inland telegraph systems in the UK, installed and operated by independent telegraph and railway companies

1869 The Telegraph Act of this year conferred on the Postmaster General a monopoly in telegraphic communication in the UK

1870 The inland telegraph system was transferred to the State on 5 February except for private wires, which owing to the pressure of work were transferred in July

1872 The Eastern Telegraph Company was formed as an amalgamation of several smaller international telegraph companies

1889 The Submarine Telegraph Company went into voluntary liquidation and its assets were transferred to the Post Office

1929 Cable and Wireless Ltd was registered on 1 April to merge British wireless and cable interests overseas

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