James Chalmers (inventor): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Scottish inventor (1782–1853)}}

{{expansion}}'''James Chalmers''' was a native of [[Arbroath]] in [[Scotland]] who moved to [[Dundee]] and established himself there as a bookseller, printer and publisher, eventually serving as a Town Councillor and becoming Convener of the [[Nine Incorporated Trades]]. Like many mild-looking people, he seems to have been a slayer of the "dragons which retard progress", battling repeatedly in the cause of Burgh Reform, and fighting for the repeal of taxes on newspapers and newspaper advertisements, and the removal of the excise duty on paper.

{{Infobox person

| name = James Chalmers

| image = File:James Chalmers.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1782|2|2|df=yes}}

| birth_place = [[Arbroath]], [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]], [[Scotland]]

| birth_name =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1853|8|26|1782|2|2|df=yes}}

| death_place = [[Dundee]], Scotland

| burial_place = 526 Dundee Howff

| nationality = Scottish

| education =

| occupation = Inventor

}}

{{EngvarB|date=January 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

'''James Chalmers''' (2 February 1782 – 26 August 1853) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] inventor (buried on 1 September 1853) who it was claimed, by his son, was the inventor of the [[postage stamps|adhesive postage stamps]].{{efn|James Chalmers put forward this idea in December 1837. However, [[Rowland Hill (postal reformer)|Sir Rowland Hill]] is more commonly stated to have invented the idea of adhesive postage stamps, having put it forward at the time of his evidence before the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Management of the Post-Office Department on 13 February 1837.}}

== History ==

His most burning enthusiasm, however, was [[postal]] [[reform]], and to the delight of his fellow businessmen, he managed to induce the authorities to speed up the mail between [[Dundee]] and [[London]] by a day each way, convincing them that this could be done without extra cost.

Chalmers trained as a weaver, before he moved to Dundee in 1809 on the recommendation of his brother. He established himself as a bookseller, printer and newspaper publisher on Castle Street. He is known to have been the publisher of "The Caledonian" as early as 1822. Later he served as a [[Burgh]] Councillor and became [[Convener]] of the Nine Incorporated Trades.

[[File:Chalmers Essay 1839.jpg|thumb|upright|Essay submitted by James Chalmers on 30 September 1839]]

That he was far advanced in his scheme for an [[adhesive]] [[postage stamp]] in [[1834]], six years before the [[Penny Post]] was introduced, was later borne out not only by Dundee and Arbroath men of standing, but by employees in his printing-works. These afterwards recalled their work in applying gum to the slips and clipping the sample stamps apart, for the perforation was a subsequent refinement and came from another source.

His most burning enthusiasm, however, was [[postal]] [[Reform movement|reform]], and to the delight offrom his fellow businessmen,1825 he managed to inducecampaigned the authorities to speed up the mail between [[DundeeEdinburgh]] and [[London]] by a day each way, convincing them that this was possible and could be done without extra cost. After several years he managed to induce a time saving of nearly a day in each direction.

In December 1837, he sent a letter outlining his proposals to [[Robert Wallace (MP for Greenock)|Robert Wallace]], MP for [[Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)|Greenock]]. Furthermore, he submitted an essay for a proposal for an [[adhesive]] [[postage stamp]] and cancelling device which was dated 8 February 1838. This also contained illustrations of one penny and two-pence values. He did not favour the use of an envelope for a letter, as each additional sheet incurred an additional charge. Instead, he proposed that a "slip" or postage stamp could seal a letter.

[[Category:Scottish business people|Chalmers, James]]

[[deFile:James Chalmers Grave.jpg|thumb|upright|James Chalmers's tombstone]]

His son, Patrick Chalmers (born Dundee, 26 July 1819 &ndash; died [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon, Surrey]], 3 October 1891), wrote many articles that attempted to evince his father's share in the work of postal reform and as inventor of the adhesive postage stamp.<ref name="post-1837">{{cite book | title= The Penny Postage Scheme of 1837 | author=Patrick Chalmers |oclc=13869040 | publisher=Effingham Wilson | year = 1881}}</ref> His book ''Robert Wallace MP and James Chalmers, the Scottish Postal Reformers'' was published in 1890. Patrick Chalmers's daughter, Leah Chalmers, wrote a book ''How the adhesive postage stamp was born'' which was published in 1939. In 1971 a further book was published about James Chalmers "''James Chalmers Inventor of the adhesive postage stamp"''. The co-author, William J Smith, was a director of David Winter & Sons Ltd (successor to the James Chalmers printing company). Charles Chalmers had succeeded his father James in the printing business in 1853. Charles took David Winter into partnership in 1868 and left him the business on his death in 1872. The printing company was renamed to David Winter & Son.<ref>William J Smith, 1971, p.18</ref> All these books claim that James Chalmers first produced an essay for a stamp in August 1834 but no evidence for this is provided in any of the books.

==References and sources==

===Notes===

{{notelist}}

===Footnotes===

{{reflist}}

===Sources===

*Patrick Chalmers, [https://archive.org/details/robertwallacejam00chaluoft ''Robert Wallace MP and James Chalmers, the Scottish Postal Reformers''], published by Effingham Wilson & Co, 1890

*Leah Chalmers, ''How the adhesive postage stamp was born'', London, P S King & Son Ltd, 1939, 33pp

*William J Smith & J E Metcalfe, ''James Chalmers Inventor of the adhesive postage stamp'', David Winter & Son Ltd, 1971, 148pp

*[https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/c/jameschalmers.html James Chalmers: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland]

*[http://www.stampdomain.com/stamp_invention/james_chalmers.htm The claim for James Chalmers]

==External links==

{{commons category|James Chalmers}}

*[https://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst112.html Gazetteer for Scotland]

*[http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/images/famousscots/fstranscript6.htm Testament of James Chalmers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030140452/http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/images/famousscots/fstranscript6.htm |date=30 October 2012 }}

*[http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/stamps/phillips/VolI/Vol_I_pg_005/Vol_I_pg_005/image The first essay for adhesive postage stamps submitted by James Chalmers to the General Post Office on 17 February 1838] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513064406/http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/stamps/phillips/VolI/Vol_I_pg_005/Vol_I_pg_005/image |date=13 May 2011 }}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers, James}}

[[Category:1782 births]]

[[Category:1853 deaths]]

[[Category:Scottish inventors]]

[[Category:19th-century Scottish businesspeople]]

[[Category:Scottish businesspublishers (people|Chalmers, James)]]

[[Category:Scottish printers]]

[[Category:People from Arbroath]]

[[Category:Postal pioneers]]

[[Category:People associated with Dundee]]