Early Packet Services
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The first regular packet service was established by Post Office contract in the beginning of 1758. This contract called for a service between Leith and Lerwick and for a boat sailing on the 1st of one month from Leith and on the 1st of the following month from Lerwick. Postage for a letter was fixed at 6d. Regular operations started on the 6th of May 1758, with the boat Isabel of Leith, Caddel master, sailing to the north. Later that year Mr Caddel changed boat to the Elizabeth of Leith, and for about two years this boat carried out most of the best and regular service not again achieved until 1835. In 1760 the Elizabeth was taken out of the service, but Mr Caddel served the contract with other boats until 1763.
In 1763 the Post Office contracted with R Strong & Son to pay £60 per year for a boat on the Leith and Lerwick Packet Service to sail on the first Wednesday of the month from Leith and from Lerwick alternately. As before the whole service was due to wind and weather serving and again the postage per letter was fixed at 6d. This new contract allowed to call at ports on the route and to take cargo. Although passenger transport was not mentioned it looks likely that the post boat served as a passenger ferry as well as the company remained in the passenger ferry business between Leith and Lerwick after they had lost the Post Office contract in 1789.
In 1774 Strong as master used the Robert and it was probably this boat which called regulary at Kirkwall, too, that brought the Rev. George Low to Shetland. From 1781 the 60 ton sloop Elizabeth was again on the run.
In 1789 a Captain W. Arthur Gibbon offered a new contract for 12 roundtrips per year between Aberdeen and Lerwick for £60 per year. His offer was accepted but after a few months Gibbon had to abandon the contract. His vessel the Endeavour, M'Kinnon master, made too heavy losses although the merchants of Lerwick preferred that mail service. The shorter sea route and the transport of the mail from Aberdeen to the south by coach made the service much faster.
R. Strong & Son took over the service again changing back to the old route between Lerwick and Leith. Unfortunately they had to give up after their sloop Elizabeth was wrecked on Lingey near Symbister at the end of 1793.
In 1794 Brebner & Co of Aberdeen offered a contract for a monthly return service between Aberdeen and Lerwick, but, requested £120 per year. The Post Office agreed to pay £60 per year after a group of Lerwick merchants had offered to cover the difference of £60 until 1796 when the Post office agreed to cover the full amount. Brebner & Co held the contract until the end of 1800 when a Lerwick-Aberdeen syndicate took over the business for the following years until 1812.
In that year the Post Office decided to use the Ship Letter Act, that is to say to send the mail by any vessel sailing between Leith and Lerwick at a rate of 2d a letter paid to the vessel while charging the public 4d a letter. Post Office packet service was not re-established until 1835.
