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101-408: Argyll ( / ɑːr ˈ ɡ aɪ l / ; archaically Argyle ; Scottish Gaelic : Earra-Ghàidheal , pronounced [ˈaːrˠəɣɛːəl̪ˠ] ), sometimes called Argyllshire , is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland . The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area now forms part of the larger Argyll and Bute council area . Argyll

202-639: A Sheriff of Argyll was in 1326. The position appears to have been a re-establishment or renaming of the position of the Sheriff of Lorn. The post subsequently became a hereditary position held by members of Clan Campbell . Despite the creation of the shires, much of the area remained under the practical control of the Lord of the Isles until 1476, when John MacDonald , last Lord of the Isles, quitclaimed Kintyre, Knapdale, and Mid-Argyll to full Scottish control. In 1481, Knapdale

303-424: A county council . The county town was historically Inveraray , but from its creation in 1890 the county council was based at Lochgilphead . The county is sparsely populated, with many islands and sea lochs along its coast, and the inland parts are mountainous. Six towns in the county held burgh status: Campbeltown , Dunoon , Inveraray, Lochgilphead, Oban , and Tobermory . Argyll borders Inverness-shire to

404-495: A dukedom in 1701 with the creation of the Duke of Argyll . Other lordships in the area included Cowal , Kintyre , Knapdale , and Lorn . From at least the 14th century there was a Sheriff of Argyll , whose jurisdiction was gradually extended; from 1633 the shire covered all these five provinces. Shires gradually eclipsed the old provinces in administrative importance, and also became known as counties. Between 1890 and 1975, Argyll had

505-459: A font readable by RM optical character recognition (OCR) equipment. Royal Mail will not carry a number of items which it says could be dangerous for its staff or vehicles. Additionally, a list of 'restricted' items can be posted subject to conditions. Prohibited goods include alcoholic, corrosive or flammable liquids or solids, gases, controlled drugs, indecent or offensive materials, and human and animal remains. In 2004, Royal Mail applied to

606-565: A national postal strike over a pay claim. British Telecom was separated from the Post Office in 1980, and emerged as an independent business in 1981. In 1986 the Post Office was subdivided into four businesses: Royal Mail Letters, Royal Mail Parcels, Post Office Counters and the National Girobank. Girobank was sold to Alliance & Leicester in 1990, but the remaining business continued under public ownership as privatisation of this

707-619: A "Master of the Posts", a position that was renamed " Postmaster General " in 1710. Upon his accession to the throne of England at the Union of the Crowns in 1603, James VI moved his court to London. One of his first acts from London was to establish the royal postal service between London and Edinburgh , in an attempt to retain control over the Scottish Privy Council . The Royal Mail service

808-565: A London-Newcastle service. On 1 January 2006, the Royal Mail lost its 350-year monopoly, and the British postal market became fully open to competition. Competitors were allowed to collect and sort mail, and pass it to Royal Mail for delivery, a service known as downstream access . Royal Mail introduced Pricing in Proportion (PiP) for first and second class inland mail, whereby prices are affected by

909-458: A continuing fall in mail volumes, the government commissioned an independent review of the postal services sector by Richard Hooper CBE , the former deputy chairman of Ofcom . The recommendations in the Hooper Review led Business Secretary Lord Mandelson to seek to part privatise the company by selling a minority stake to a commercial partner. However, despite legislation for the sale passing

1010-411: A form of jargon. Some phraseologies , especially in religious contexts, retain archaic elements that are not used in ordinary speech in any other context: "With this ring I thee wed." Archaisms are also used in the dialogue of historical novels to evoke the flavour of the period. Some may count as inherently funny words and are used for humorous effect. A type of archaism is the use of thou ,

1111-516: A generation of British citizens who lived through the Second World War ; but in recent years the term has been repurposed as a non-archaic term for wifi and cell-phone technology. A similar desire to evoke a former age means that archaic place names are frequently used in circumstances where doing so conveys a political or emotional subtext, or when the official new name is not recognised by all (for example: 'Madras' rather than 'Chennai'). So,

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1212-481: A large number of islands that fall within the Inner Hebrides . Mainland Argyll is characterised by mountainous Highland scenery interspersed with hundreds of lochs, with a heavily indented coastline containing numerous small offshore islands. The islands present a contrasting range of scenery – from the relatively flat islands of Coll and Tiree to the mountainous terrain of Jura and Mull . For ease of reference

1313-463: A letter, the sender could affix the first adhesive postage stamp , the Penny Black , which was available for use from 6 May the same year. Other innovations were the introduction of pre-paid William Mulready designed postal stationery letter sheets and envelopes. As Britain was the first country to issue prepaid postage stamps, British stamps are the only stamps that do not bear the name of

1414-565: A number of paid-for services including Admail , post office boxes and private post boxes were removed from the Inland Letter Post Scheme (ILPS) and became available under contract. Several free services, including petitions to parliament and the sovereign, and poste restante , were removed from the scheme. A new holding company, Royal Mail Limited, was established in September 2013, in anticipation of its initial public offering on

1515-707: A profit and closed in 2002. As part of the 2000 Act, the government set up a postal regulator, the Postal Services Commission , known as Postcomm, which offered licences to private companies to deliver mail. In 2001, the Consumer Council for Postal Services, known as Postwatch , was created for consumers to express any concerns they may have with the postal service in Britain. Postwatch was abolished in 2008 and merged with Energywatch to form Consumer Focus , with Postcomm also being abolished in 2011. In 2004,

1616-549: A receiver-pays to a sender-pays system. This was used as the model for other postal services around the world, but also spilled over to the modern-day crowd-funding approach. Greater changes took place when the Uniform Penny Post was introduced on 10 January 1840, whereby a single rate for delivery anywhere in Great Britain and Ireland was pre-paid by the sender. A few months later, to certify that postage had been paid on

1717-422: A restaurant seeking to conjure up historic associations might prefer to call itself Old Bombay or refer to Persian cuisine in preference to using the newer place name. A notable contemporary example is the airline Cathay Pacific , which uses the archaic Cathay for China . Archaisms are frequently misunderstood, leading to changes in usage. One example is the phrase "odd man out", which originally came from

1818-628: A seal was first fixed to the mail. At the restoration of the monarchy , in 1660, all the ordinances and acts passed by parliaments during the Civil War and the Interregnum passed into oblivion, so the General Post Office (GPO) was officially established by Charles II under the Post Office Act 1660 ( 12 Cha. 2 . c. 35). Between 1719 and 1763, Ralph Allen , postmaster at Bath , signed

1919-432: A series of contracts with the post office to develop and expand Britain's postal network. He organised mail coaches which were provided by both Wilson & Company of London and Williams & Company of Bath. The early Royal Mail Coaches were similar to ordinary family coaches, but with Post Office livery . The first mail coach ran in 1784, operating between Bristol and London. Delivery staff received uniforms for

2020-607: Is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services . It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels). The company used the name Consignia for a brief period in the early 2000s but changed it afterwards. The company provides mail collection and delivery services throughout the UK. Letters and parcels are deposited in post or parcel boxes, or are collected in bulk from businesses and transported to Royal Mail sorting offices. Royal Mail owns and maintains

2121-408: Is for PPI or franked mail, where the sender prints their own 'stamp'. For PPI mail, this involves either a simple rubber stamp and an ink pad, or a printed label. For franked mail, a dedicated franking machine is used. Bulk business mail, using Mailmark technology, attracts reduced prices of up to 32%, if the sender prints an RM4SCC barcode , or prints the address formatted in a specific way in

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2222-557: Is generally said to derive from Old Irish airer Goídel , meaning "border region of the Gaels". The early 13th-century author of De Situ Albanie wrote that "the name Arregathel means the margin (i.e., border region) of the Scots or Irish, because all Scots and Irish are generally called Gattheli (i.e. Gaels), from their ancient warleader known as Gaithelglas ." The word airer also means "coast" when applied to maritime regions, so

2323-463: Is known as Loch Eil ), almost cutting the northern mainland section of Argyll in two. This area, in the vicinity of Fort William and along the railway line, contains the largest towns of northern mainland Argyll. Ardnamurchan is a remote, mountainous region with only one access road; it terminates in Ardnamurchan Point and Corrachadh Mòr , the westernmost points of the British mainland. In

2424-464: Is of ancient origin, and broadly corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata less the parts which were in Ireland . Argyll was also a medieval bishopric with its cathedral at Lismore . In medieval times the area was divided into a number of provincial lordships . One of these, covering only the central part of the later county, was called Argyll. It was initially an earldom , elevated to become

2525-464: Is one that still has some current use but whose use has dwindled to a few specialized contexts, outside which it connotes old-fashioned language. In contrast, an obsolete word or sense is one that is no longer used at all. A reader encounters them when reading texts that are centuries old. For example, the works of Shakespeare are old enough that some obsolete words or senses are encountered therein, for which glosses (annotations) are often provided in

2626-487: Is required by law to maintain the universal service , whereby items of a specific size can be sent to any location within the United Kingdom for a fixed price, not affected by distance. The Postal Services Act 2011 guaranteed that Royal Mail would continue to provide the universal service until at least 2021. Royal Mail Special Delivery is an expedited mail service that guarantees delivery by 1 p.m. or 9 a.m.

2727-737: The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (c. 45), which requires carriers of firearms to "take reasonable precautions" for their safe custody and argued that to comply would involve disproportionate cost. A Royal Mail public consultation document on the changes said: "We expect the impact on customers to be minimal". The proposals provoked a large negative response, following a campaign led by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation , backed by numerous shooting-related websites and organisations. A total of 1,458 people gave their views in emails and letters sent to Royal Mail. An online petition opposing

2828-450: The House of Lords , it was abandoned in the House of Commons after strong opposition from backbench Labour MPs. The government later cited the difficult economic conditions for the reason behind the retreat. After the departure of Adam Crozier to ITV plc on 27 May 2010, Royal Mail appointed Canadian Moya Greene as chief executive, the first woman to hold the post. On 6 December 2010,

2929-584: The Kyles of Bute lies the island of Bute , which is part of Buteshire , and to east across Loch Long lies the Rosneath peninsula in Dunbartonshire . The topography of south Argyll is in general heavily mountainous and sparsely populated, with numerous lochs; Kintyre is slightly flatter though still hilly. Near Glen Coe can be found Bidean nam Bian , the tallest peak in the county at 1,150 m (3,770 ft). Of

3030-687: The Morvern and Ardnamurchan areas from the pre-1975 county, which were transferred to the Highland region , but included the Isle of Bute , which had not been in Argyll. Further reforms in 1996 abolished the Strathclyde region and made Argyll and Bute a single-tier council area instead. As part of those reforms, Argyll and Bute also gained an area around Helensburgh which had historically been in Dunbartonshire . The name

3131-451: The Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1983 (renamed Argyll in 1950). The Argyll and Bute constituency was created when the Argyll constituency was abolished. Civil parishes are still used for some statistical purposes, and separate census figures are published for them. As their areas have been largely unchanged since

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3232-462: The Post Office Act 1969 the General Post Office was changed from a government department to a statutory corporation , known simply as the Post Office. The office of Postmaster General was abolished and replaced with the positions of chairman and chief executive in the new company. In 1971, postal services in Great Britain were suspended for two months between January and March as the result of

3333-572: The Postal Services Act 2000 , whereby the Post Office became a public limited company in which the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry owned a special share, and the Treasury Solicitor held a ordinary share. The company was renamed Consignia Public Limited Company in 2001, a name that was invented by the consultancy company Dragon Brands, and the new name was intended to show that

3434-518: The Treaty of Perth re-established the Scottish crown's authority over the parts of Argyll which had been under Norwegian rule, along with the former Kingdom of the Isles, which together became the semi-independent Lordship of the Isles . By this time, the rest of the area under Scottish rule was divided into shires , administered by sheriffs . The shires covered different territories to the provinces, and it

3535-514: The set phrase vim and vigor ). An outdated form of language is called archaic. In contrast, a language or dialect that contains many archaic traits (archaisms) relative to closely related languages or dialects spoken at the same time is called conservative . Archaisms are most frequently encountered in history , poetry , fantasy literature , law , philosophy , science , technology , geography and ritual writing and speech. Archaisms are kept alive by these ritual and literary uses and by

3636-467: The terminus of which lies only 13 miles (21 kilometres) from Northern Ireland on the other side of the North Channel . The coast is complex, with the west coast in particular being heavily indented and containing numerous sea inlets, peninsulas and sub-peninsulas; of the latter, the major ones (north to south) are Appin , Ardchattan , Craignish , Tayvallich , Taynish , Knapdale and Kintyre , and

3737-543: The 17th century, under instruction from James VI , the Campbells were sent to the MacDonald territory at Islay and Jura , which they subdued and added to the shire of Argyll. Campbell pressure at this time also led to the sheriff court for Tarbertshire being moved to Inverary , where the Campbells held the court for the sheriff of Argyll. Tarbertshire was subsequently abolished by an act of parliament in 1633, being absorbed into

3838-495: The 1994 Queen's Speech after a number of Conservative MPs warned Heseltine that they would not vote for the legislation. The Post Office had its headquarters in St. Martin's Le Grand , in the City of London , until 1984. Then the headquarters division moved out to 33 Grosvenor Place (lately vacated by British Steel ). After 1986 separate headquarters were established elsewhere for each of

3939-512: The 19th century, this allows for comparison of population figures over an extended period of time. The West Highland railway runs through the far north of the county, stopping at Locheilside , Loch Eil Outward Bound , Corpach and Banavie , before carrying on to Mallaig in Inverness-shire. A branch of the line also goes to Oban , calling at Dalmally , Loch Awe , Falls of Cruachan , Taynuilt and Connel Ferry . Numerous ferries link

4040-478: The 5th and 9th centuries. Its territory covered north-eastern parts of Ireland in what later became County Antrim , part of the mainland of Great Britain in what is now western Scotland , and numerous islands in the Inner Hebrides . A fortress at Dunadd in the Kilmartin Glen, 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of the modern town of Lochgilphead , served as the main seat of the kingdom. Dál Riata fragmented in

4141-629: The 9th century during the Viking Age ; the part in Ireland was absorbed into the kingdom of Ulaid , the islands came under the control of the Kingdom of the Isles , and the part on mainland Britain was united in 843   AD with the Pictish kingdom to its east under Kenneth MacAlpin to become the Kingdom of Alba . The name Argyll ( Airer Goídel ), meaning 'coast or borderland of the Gaels', came to be used for

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4242-465: The London Stock Exchange. Applications for members of the public to buy shares opened on 27 September 2013, ahead of the company's listing on the London Stock Exchange on 15 October 2013. During its annual general meeting on 20 July 2022, the company announced that the holding company responsible for both Royal Mail and GLS would change its name to International Distributions Services . It

4343-705: The MacDonalds, to avoid potential conflict. The MacLeans were an ancient family based in Lorn (including Mull), and following the quitclaim, they no longer had a Laird in Mull, so themselves became Mull's Lairds. Unlike the MacDonalds, they were fervent supporters of the Reformation, even supporting acts of civil disobedience against king Charles II 's repudiation of the Solemn League and Covenant . Archibald Campbell (Earl of Argyll)

4444-689: The Protectorate claimed to govern all of Great Britain and Ireland under one unified government, on 9 June 1657 the Second Protectorate Parliament (which included Scottish and Irish MPs) passed the "Act for settling the Postage in England, Scotland and Ireland", which created one monopoly Post Office for the whole territory of the Commonwealth. The first Postmaster General was appointed in 1661, and

4545-401: The Scottish reformation, each sheriffdom elected commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland . As well as the commissioner representing Argyll , at least one was sent to represent Tarbertshire, Sir Lachlan Maclean of Morvern . In the 1630 parliamentary session, Sir Coll Lamont, laird of Lamont , was the commissioner for "Argyll and Tarbert ". There was an Argyllshire constituency of

4646-430: The UK's distinctive and iconic red pillar boxes , first introduced in 1852 (12 years after the first postage stamp , Penny Black ), and other post boxes , many of which bear the royal cypher of the reigning monarch at the date of manufacture. Deliveries are made at least once every day except Sundays and bank holidays at uniform charges for all UK destinations. Royal Mail generally aims to make first class deliveries

4747-541: The alternative form 'Argyllshire' for the county on its maps. The Kilmartin Glen has standing stones and other monuments dating back to around 3000   BC, and is one of the most significant areas for Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland . In 563   AD Iona Abbey was founded, becoming one of the most important early Christian sites in Scotland. The Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata existed between

4848-440: The application on the grounds that Royal Mail had not provided sufficient evidence that carrying firearms caused undue disruption or that a ban would reduce the number of illegal weapons. It also said that a ban would cause unnecessary hardship to individuals and businesses. In August 2012, Royal Mail again attempted to prohibit the carriage of all firearms, air rifles and air pistols from 30 November 2012. It cited section 14(1) of

4949-422: The area around Inveraray between Loch Fyne and Loch Awe (the latter sometimes described by later writers as "Argyll proper" or "Mid-Argyll" to distinguish it from the wider area). The term "North Argyll" was also used to refer to the area later called Wester Ross . It was called North Argyll as it was settled by missionaries and refugees from Dál Riata , based at the abbey of Applecross . The position of abbot

5050-407: The company did more than deliver mail; however, the change was very unpopular with both the general public and employees. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) boycotted the name, and the following year, it was announced that the company would be renamed Royal Mail Group plc. Use of the Post Office brand was afterwards restricted to the counters business ('Post Office Counters Ltd' since 1987), which

5151-457: The council bought the former Argyll Hotel at 5 Lochnell Street for £2,700, converting it to become their offices. The hotel had been built in 1887, and was renamed County Offices. The Lochgilphead building was not large enough to house all the council's staff, and some departments remained in other towns throughout the county council's existence, with the county treasurer being based in Campbeltown,

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5252-462: The council should meet thereafter, with proposals put forward in favour of meeting in Lochgilphead , Inveraray , Oban , Dunoon , or even Glasgow (despite the latter being outside the county). It was decided to meet at Dunoon between May and September and at Oban for the rest of the year. The council did subsequently hold meetings in more places than just those two towns, meeting occasionally at all

5353-420: The counsel of thy own soul. Today me, tomorrow thee . That is: today this happens to me, but tomorrow to you. To thine own self be true. Archaisms often linger in proverbs, "falling easier on the tongue", and employing two of the four fundamental rhetorical effects, permutation (immutatio) and addition (adiectio). Royal Mail The Royal Mail Group Limited , trading as Royal Mail ,

5454-555: The country of issue on them . By the late 19th century, there were between six and twelve mail deliveries per day in London, permitting correspondents to exchange multiple letters within a single day. The first trial of the London Pneumatic Despatch Company was made in 1863, sending mail by underground rail between postal depots. The Post Office began its telegraph service in 1870. The first Post Office pillar box

5555-668: The daily round. Companies using the "Door to door" service include Virgin Media , BT , Sky , Talk Talk , Farmfoods , Domino's Pizza , Direct Line and Morrisons . In 2005, the service delivered 3.3 billion items. The "Door to door" service does not use the UK Mailing Preference Service ; instead, Royal Mail operates its own opt-out database. Warnings about missing government communications given by Royal Mail to customers opting out of their service have been criticised by customers and consumer groups. Clarification given by

5656-579: The first time in 1793, and the Post Office Investigation Branch was established. The first mail train ran in 1830, on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . The Post Office's money order system was introduced in 1838. In December 1839, the first substantial reform started when postage rates were revised by the short-lived Uniform Fourpenny Post . Rowland Hill , an English teacher, inventor and social reformer, became disillusioned with

5757-485: The following is split into three sections: Mainland (north), Mainland (south) and the Inner Hebrides. The northern mainland section consists of two large peninsulas – Ardnamurchan and Morvern – divided by Loch Sunart , with a large inland section – known traditionally as Ardgour – bounded on the east by Loch Linnhe . This loch gradually narrows, before turning sharply west in the vicinity of Fort William (where it

5858-541: The health department in Oban, and the education offices in Dunoon. After the county council's abolition in 1975, the building at 5 Lochnell Street became the sub-regional office of Strathclyde Regional Council, being renamed "Dalriada House", whilst the new Argyll and Bute District Council established its headquarters at nearby Kilmory Castle . Argyll is split into two non-contiguous mainland sections divided by Loch Linnhe , plus

5959-604: The inland and foreign mails to John Manley. Manley was given a monopoly on the postal service, which was effectively enforced by Protector Oliver Cromwell 's government, and thanks to the improvements necessitated by the war, Manley ran a much-improved Post Office service. In July 1655, the Post Office was put under the direct government control of John Thurloe , a Secretary of State, best known to history as Cromwell's spymaster general. Previous English governments had tried to prevent conspirators from communicating; Thurloe preferred to deliver their post having surreptitiously read it. As

6060-400: The islands of Muck , Rùm , Canna , and Sanday being in Argyll but Eigg in Inverness-shire. The whole parish was placed in Inverness-shire in 1891. The parishes of Ardnamurchan and Kilmallie both also straddled Argyll and Inverness-shire; the county boundary through Kilmallie was adjusted to follow Loch Eil in 1891. In 1895 these two parishes were both split along the county boundary;

6161-473: The islands of the Inner Hebrides to each other and the Scottish mainland. Many of the islands also contain small airstrips enabling travel by air. A fairly extensive bus network links the larger towns of the area, with bus transport also available on the islands of Islay, Jura and Mull. The county contains a number of small airports which serve the region and Edinburgh/Glasgow: Oban , Tiree , Coll , Colonsay , Campbeltown and Islay . Kintyre has been one of

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6262-481: The issue, pillar boxes in Scotland were either marked 'Post Office' or used the Scots Crown . A national telephone service was opened by the Post Office in 1912. In 1919, the first international airmail service was developed by Royal Engineers (Postal Section) and Royal Air Force . The London Post Office Railway was opened in 1927. In 1941, an airgraph service was introduced between UK and Egypt. The service

6363-675: The lochs and bodies of water the largest are (roughly north to south) the Blackwater Reservoir , Loch Achtriochtan , Loch Laidon , Loch Bà , loch Buidhe , Lochan na Stainge , Loch Dochard , Loch Tulla , Loch Shira , the Cruachan Reservoir , Loch Restil , Loch Awe , Loch Avich , Blackmill Loch , Loch Nant , Loch Nell , Loch Scammadale , Loch Glashan , Loch Loskin , Loch Eck , Asgog Loch , Loch Tarsan , Càm Loch , Loch nan Torran , Loch Ciàran , Loch Garasdale , Lussa Loch and Tangy Loch . Note that islands lying off

6464-520: The major loch inlets (north to south) are Loch Leven , Loch Creran , Loch Etive , Loch Feochan , Loch Melfort , Loch Craignish , Loch Crinan , Loch Sween , Loch Caolisport and West Loch Tarbert , the latter dividing Kintyre from Knapdale. To the east Loch Fyne separates Kintyre from the Cowal peninsula, which is itself split into three sub-peninsulas by Lochs Striven and Riddon and split on its east coast by Holy Loch and Loch Goil ; south across

6565-427: The margins. Archaisms can either be used deliberately (to achieve a specific effect) or as part of a specific jargon (for example in law ) or formula (for example in religious contexts). Many nursery rhymes contain archaisms. Some archaisms called fossil words remain in use within certain fixed expressions despite having faded away in all other contexts (for example, vim is not used in normal English outside

6666-432: The monarch's title: some Scottish nationalists argue that Queen Elizabeth II should have simply been Queen Elizabeth, as there had been no previous Queen Elizabeth of Scotland or of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ( Elizabeth I was only Queen of the pre-1707 Kingdom of England ). The dispute involved vandalism and attacks on pillar and post boxes introduced in Scotland which displayed EIIR. To avoid

6767-413: The mooted locations for a proposed British-Irish bridge ; as the closest point to Ireland at first glance it appears to be the most obvious route, however Kintyre is hampered by its remoteness from the main centres of Scotland's population. Purge Archaically A distinction between archaic and obsolete words and word senses is widely used by dictionaries. An archaic word or sense

6868-454: The name can also be translated as "coast of the Gaels". An alternative theory has more recently been advanced that the name may actually come from the early Irish kingdom of Airgíalla . The legal name of the county was Argyll, which was also used by the Royal Mail as the name of the postal county for the mainland (the islands formed their own postal counties). The Ordnance Survey adopted

6969-579: The next business day throughout the nation. For most of its history, the Royal Mail was a public service, operating as a government department or public corporation . Following the Postal Services Act 2011 , a majority of the shares in Royal Mail Limited , now known as International Distribution Services , were floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2013. The Royal Mail can trace its history back to 1516, when Henry VIII established

7070-457: The next day for an increased cost. In the event that the item does not arrive on time, there is a money back guarantee. It insures goods to the value of £50 for 9 a.m. or £750 for 1 p.m. An extra fee can be paid to extend the insurance coverage to up to £2,500 (for either service). The Royal Mail runs, alongside its stamped mail services, another sector of post called business mail. The large majority of Royal Mail's business mail service

7171-605: The north, Perthshire and Dunbartonshire to the east, and (separated by the Firth of Clyde ) neighbours Renfrewshire and Ayrshire to the south-east, and the County of Bute to the south. Argyll ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Most of the pre-1975 county was then included in the Argyll and Bute district of the Strathclyde region. The district created in 1975 excluded

7272-569: The north-east of the peninsula two unnamed sub-peninsulas almost encircle Kentra Bay , and are bound by the South Channel of Loch Moidart to the north; to the east of this lies the River Shiel and then Loch Shiel , a long loch which forms most of this section of the border with Inverness-shire. Morvern is a large peninsula and like its northern neighbour is remote, mountainous and sparsely populated. In its north-west Loch Teacuis cuts deeply into

7373-418: The part of Ardnamurchan in Inverness-shire became a new parish of Arisaig and Moidart , leaving the reduced Ardnamurchan parish wholly in Argyll, whilst the part of Kilmallie in Argyll became a new parish of Ardgour . Argyll was abolished as a county for local government purposes in 1975, with its area being split between Highland and Strathclyde Regions. A local government district called Argyll and Bute

7474-501: The part of the former Dál Riata territory on mainland Britain. The name distinguished the area from the Innse Gall , meaning 'islands of the foreigners' which was used for the Kingdom of the Isles, ruled by Old Norse -speaking Norse–Gaels . Argyll was divided into several lordships or provinces , including Kintyre , Knapdale , Lorn , Cowal , and a smaller Argyll province which covered

7575-404: The peninsula, as does Loch Aline in the south. At the estuary of Loch Teacuis lie the large islands of Oronsay , Risga and Càrna . There are numerous lochs in northern Argyll, the largest being Loch Doilet , Loch Arienas , Loch Teàrnait , Loch Doire nam Mart and Loch Mudle . The southern mainland section is much larger than the northern, and is dominated by the long Kintyre peninsula,

7676-406: The phrase "to find the odd man out", where the verb "to find out" has been split by its object "the odd man", meaning the item which does not fit. The object + split verb has been reinterpreted as a noun + adjective, such that "out" describes the man rather than any verb. The pronominal adverbs found in the writing of lawyers (e.g. heretofore , hereunto , thereof ) are examples of archaisms as

7777-437: The postal service, and wrote a paper proposing reforms that resulted in an approach that would go on to change not only the Royal Mail, but also be copied by postal services around world. His proposal was refused at the first attempt, but he overcame the political obstacles, and was appointed to implement and develop his ideas. He realised that many small purchases would fund the organisation and implemented this by changing it from

7878-455: The proposals was signed by 2,236 people, 1,742 of whom added comments. In the face of such opposition, Royal Mail dropped the proposals in December 2012. Royal Mail's "Door to door" service provides delivery of leaflets, brochures, catalogues and other print materials to groups of domestic and business addresses selected by postcode. Such deliveries are made by the mail carrier together as part of

7979-543: The rest of the recently unified Great Britain , and the English term "county" came to be used interchangeably with the term "shire". In 1890, elected county councils were created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 . The 1889 Act also led to parish and county boundaries being adjusted to eliminate cases where parishes straddled county boundaries. The parish of Small Isles straddled Argyll and Inverness-shire, with

8080-420: The second daily delivery was scrapped in an effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency, meaning a later single delivery would be made. The same year, the travelling post office mail trains were also axed. In 2005, Royal Mail signed a contract with GB Railfreight to operate an overnight rail service between London and Scotland (carrying bulk mail, and without any on-train sorting); this was later followed by

8181-477: The second-person singular pronoun that fell out of general use in the 17th century, while you or ye , formerly only used to address groups, and then also to respectfully address individuals, is now used to address both individuals and groups. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique / objective form is thee (functioning as both accusative and dative ), and the possessive is thy or thine . Though thou hast ever so many counsellors, yet do not forsake

8282-523: The shire of Argyll. The act also confirmed the town of Inveraray's position as "head burgh" of the enlarged shire. In 1667, Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. David II had restored MacDougall authority over Lorn in 1357, but John MacDougall (head of the MacDougalls) had already renounced claims to Mull (in 1354) in favour of

8383-467: The size as well as weight of items. It also introduced an online postage service, allowing customers to pay for postage online. In 2007, the Royal Mail Group plc became Royal Mail Group Ltd, in a slight change of legal status. Royal Mail ended Sunday collections from pillar boxes that year. On 1 October 2008, Postwatch was merged into the new consumer watchdog Consumer Focus . In 2008, due to

8484-434: The study of older literature. Should they remain recognised, they can potentially be revived. Because they are things of continual discovery and re-invention, science and technology have historically generated forms of speech and writing which have dated and fallen into disuse relatively quickly. However, the emotional associations of certain words have kept them alive, for example the archaic 'wireless' rather than 'radio' for

8585-420: The then postal regulator Postcomm to ban the carriage of sporting firearms, saying they caused disruption to the network, that a ban would assist police with firearms control, and that ease of access meant the letters network was a target of criminals. Postcomm issued a consultation on the proposed changes in December 2004, to which 62 people and organisations responded. In June 2005, Postcomm decided to refuse

8686-592: The three subdivisions of the Post Office, leaving a much reduced corporate head office (with just thirty staff) who in 1990 moved to 30 St James's Square ; two years later it was again moved, to be co-located with the Letters head office in Royal Mail House (148 Old Street ). After a change of government in 1997, the Labour government decided to keep the Post Office state-owned, but with more commercial freedom. This led to

8787-513: The towns which had been suggested at that first meeting. The council also appointed a clerk who was based in Lochgilphead at its first meeting, beginning the practice of having the council's main offices in that town. The clerk's offices were initially at the County Offices which formed part of Lochgilphead's courthouse and police station on Lochnell Street, which had been built in 1849. In 1925

8888-462: The west coast are generally considered to be part of the Inner Hebrides (see below) Argyll contains the majority of the Inner Hebrides group, with the notable exceptions of Skye and Eigg (both in Inverness-shire). The islands are too geographically diverse to be summarised here; further details can be found on the individual pages below. Starting in 1590, as one of the measures that followed

8989-603: Was 51% owned by Royal Mail, and 49% by Haden Building Management Ltd, which became Balfour Beatty WorkPlace and is now Cofely UK, part of GDF Suez in a joint venture. In the 1990s the President of the Board of Trade , Michael Heseltine , began to look again at privatisation, and eventually a Green Paper on Postal Reform was published in May 1994, outlining various possible options. The ideas, however, proved controversial, and were dropped from

9090-509: Was added to the shire of Kintyre which then became known as Tarbertshire , being initially administered from Tarbert . The Scottish Reformation coincidentally followed the fall of the Lordship of the Isles. The MacDonalds (the clan of the former Lords of the Isles) were strong supporters of the former religious regime. The Campbells, by contrast, were strong supporters of the reforms. At the start of

9191-508: Was also suggested that the board of directors may look to separate GLS in order to distance the profitable company from Royal Mail, which were in negotiations with the CWU over both pay and future changes to ways of working. The name change was filled in the Companies House on 28 September 2022 and registered on 3 October. In March 2023, talks over pay were reportedly at collapse. Royal Mail

9292-459: Was created, with a change in boundaries to include part of the former Strathclyde district of Dumbarton . The historic county boundaries of Argyll are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a registration county . Argyll County Council held its first meeting at the courthouse in Inveraray on 22 May 1890, when over three hours were spent debating where

9393-640: Was deemed to be too unpopular. That same year, Royal Mail Parcels was rebranded as Parcelforce as part of an attempt to compete with international courier firms, which were fast expanding into the European market. Postal workers held their first national strike for 17 years in 1988, after walking out over bonuses being paid to recruit new workers in London and the South East. Royal Mail established Romec (Royal Mail Engineering & Construction) in 1989 to deliver facilities maintenance services to its business. Romec

9494-455: Was duly renamed Post Office Limited ; it continued to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Mail Group plc until 2012, when the two were separated in preparation for the latter's privatisation. In 1998, Royal Mail launched RelayOne as an email to postal service system. In 1999, Royal Mail launched a short-lived e-commerce venture, ViaCode Limited, aimed at providing encrypted online communications services. However, it failed to make

9595-495: Was erected in 1852 in Jersey . Pillar boxes were introduced in mainland Britain the following year. British pillar boxes traditionally carry the Latin initials of the reigning monarch at the time of their installation, for example: VR for Victoria Regina or GR for Georgius Rex . Such branding was not used in Scotland for most of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, due to a dispute over

9696-732: Was first made available to the public by Charles I on 31 July 1635, with postage being paid by the recipient. The monopoly was farmed out to Thomas Witherings . In the 1640s, Parliament removed the monopoly from Witherings and during the Civil War and First Commonwealth the parliamentary postal service was run at great profit for himself by Edmund Prideaux (a prominent parliamentarian and lawyer who rose to be attorney-general ). To keep his monopoly in those troubled times Prideaux improved efficiency and used both legal impediments and illegal methods. In 1653, Parliament set aside all previous grants for postal services, and contracts were let for

9797-490: Was formed in the Strathclyde region , including most of Argyll and the adjacent Isle of Bute (the former County of Bute was more extensive). The Ardnamurchan , Ardgour , Ballachulish , Duror, Glencoe , Kinlochleven , and Morvern areas of Argyll were detached to become parts of Lochaber District, in Highland. They remained in Highland following the 1996 revision. In 1996, a new unitary council area of Argyll and Bute

9898-473: Was hereditary, and when Ferchar mac in tSagairt , son of the abbot, became the Earl of Ross in the 13th century, the region of North Argyll gradually became known as Wester Ross instead. Alba evolved into the kingdom of Scotland, but lost control of Kintyre, Knapdale and Lorn to Norwegian rule, as was acknowledged in a treaty of 1098 between Edgar, King of Scotland and Magnus Barefoot , King of Norway . In 1266,

9999-484: Was instructed by the privy council to seize Mull, and suppress the non-conformist behaviour ; by 1680 he gained possession of the island, and transferred shrieval authority to the sheriff of Argyll. In 1746, following Jacobite insurrections, the Heritable Jurisdictions Act abolished regality , and forbade the position of sheriff from being inherited. Local governance was brought into line with that of

10100-494: Was later extended to Canada (1941), East Africa (1941), Burma (1942), India (1942), South Africa (1942), Australia (1943), New Zealand (1943) Ceylon (1944) and Italy (1944). Postcodes were extended across Great Britain and Northern Ireland between 1959 and 1974. The two-class postal system was introduced in 1968, using first-class and second-class services. The Post Office opened the National Giro Bank that year. Under

10201-544: Was the shires which subsequently evolved into Scotland's counties rather than the older provinces. Following the Treaty of Perth, the Argyll provinces were initially placed in the shire of Perth . In 1293, two new shires were created within Argyll; the Sheriff of Kintyre , covering just that province, and the Sheriff of Lorn , covering Lorn, Knapdale, and Mid-Argyll (which probably included Cowal at that time). The earliest reference to

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