LOCAL history buff Bernard Murphy has again been beavering through the library archives in his ongoing quest for quirky information from the past.

This time, Bernard, who makes a blues-beating hobby out of such things, has come up with an interesting piece about the first government-appointed postman to serve St Helens.

Not only that, he's traced a great-grandaughter of the old-time mailman. And, to his delight, Lily Woodstock of Widnes was able to produce a picture of the unique 'man of letters' to go with Bernard's researches.

What a remarkable chap that Victorian postman was! A stooped figure during advancing years, William Alfred Woodstock (nicknamed 'Old William') plodded his beat for 40 years - long after he could have retired on a pension.

Finally, he had to reluctantly call it a day as his health began to buckle under letter-carrying strain.

William had been appointed to his post in 1851, and during the four decades that followed. he never lost a day through illness and was late for work on fewer than half-a-dozen occasions.

His good conduct and long service were rewarded by three 'sergeant' stripes. And he certainly earned them! For it was little wonder that his back became bent. When first appointed, six thousand letters a month was the St Helens average - and the postal district took in Windle, Moss Bank, Sutton, Billinge and Haydock.

Old William was apparently responsible for the lot. Goodness knows how many hours a week he put in!

But during his working life he saw this number increase to 400,000 a month just before the turn of the century, and with it the letter-carrying staff increased to 14.

Bernard, from Glover Street, St Helens, has also discovered that when Old William first took up his postal bag, the town's mail was deposited at Rainhill by stage-coaches plying between Manchester and Liverpool. A mail-coach then ferried it to St Helens and Rainford for delivery locally.

A FAR cry, indeed, from today's computerised mail sorting and nationwide postal codes.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.