1st Class – George I (1714 - 1727)
Descended from a daughter of James I, George I did not have a strong hereditary claim to the throne: he was King because Parliament had chosen him over the son of James II. He had a poor command of English and spent time in his German homeland, thus contributing to the development of Cabinet government and the office of prime minister. In1715, he had to meet the challenge of a Jacobite rising. Another crisis came in1720, when thousands of investors were ruined in the collapse of the South Sea Company. Rumours that some of George’s German favourites had been involved in fraud threatened the security of the throne, but the King was saved by Robert Walpole, who became Britain’s first and also its longest-serving prime minister – though initially this title was used as a term of abuse by his enemies.
1st Class – George II (1727 - 1760)
George II was on bad terms with his father but kept his ministers. His reign was marked by the Jacobite rising of 1745 and two major wars. He was the last British sovereign to lead his soldiers into battle – against French forces at Dettingen on 16 June 1743. In general, he was relatively inactive politically and relied heavily on his ministers, particularly during the events of the Seven Years’ War (1756–63) against France. After a poor start, there was stunning military success; 1759, almost at the end of George II’s reign, was the Year of Victories – the most successful in the history of British arms.
76p – George III (1760-1820)
George III was still a young man when he became King. According to some, he tried to restore certain powers of the Crown lost by his predecessors. Throughout his reign, he clung to the principle that he should choose his prime ministers. George III was King during the American Revolutionary War and the French and Napoleonic Wars. His later years were marked by poor health and his son, the future George IV, was Regent from1811 to 1820.
76p – George IV (1820-1830)
A lavish spender and patron of the arts, George IV was responsible for the Brighton Pavilion and the rebuilding of Windsor Castle. He was Regent at the time of the Battle of Waterloo. His reign was overshadowed by the scandal of his divorce from Queen Caroline. He was less hard-working than his father, and during his reign the powers of the Crown declined. With some reluctance, he agreed to major reforms, such as the admission of Roman Catholics to Parliament in 1829.
£1.10 – William IV (1830-1837)
Formerly Duke of Clarence, William IV had spent most of his life in the Navy, fighting in the American Revolutionary War and serving in the West Indies before becoming King. His court was less ostentatious than his brother George IV’s had been, and his outlook more flexible. His short reign was marked by political crisis, notably that surrounding the Reform Bill of 1832, which he handled with considerable skill. He was the last British monarch to dismiss a government with a majority in Parliament.
£1.10 – Victoria (1837 - 1901)
Victoria’s reign, the longest in British history, saw a dramatic transformation of all aspects of life as towns grew, factories sprang up and railways spread across the land. Although Victoria experienced a period of unpopularity when she withdrew from public life after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were celebrated with enthusiasm, not least because they were associated with pride in the British Empire, at its height during her reign.
1st Class: Robert Walpole – 1721 First Prime Minister
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676 – 1745) is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Although the position of "Prime Minister" had no recognition in law or official use at the time, Walpole is nevertheless acknowledged as having held the office de facto because of his influence within the Cabinet.
First elected in 1701, Walpole served during the reigns of George I and George II. His tenure is normally dated from 1721 when he obtained the post of First Lord of the Treasury. Walpole continued to govern until his resignation in 1742 prompted by the Battle of Cartagena disaster, making his administration the longest in British history. Because of his homely ways and strong Norfolk roots, he was often known to both friends and detractors as the "fat old Squire of Norfolk."
68p: Robert Adam – 1763 Kedleston Hall
Robert Adam (1728 – 1792) was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. In 1754 he left for Rome, spending nearly five years on the continent studying architecture under Charles-Louis Clérisseau and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. On his return he established a practice in London, where he developed the "Adam Style" and his theory of "movement" in architecture based on his studies of antiquity and became one of the most successful and fashionable architects in the country.
Robert Adam was leader of the first phase of the classical revival in England and Scotland from around 1760 until his death. He influenced the development of Western architecture, both in Europe and in North America. Adam was not content with providing houses for his clients but very ready to design the fittings and accessories as well.
76p: Penny Black – 1840 Uniform Postage
The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp. It was introduced in Britain in 1840 as a part of a wide-ranging postal reform, and it marked a turning point in British social history.
In his 1838 proposal to Parliament, Rowland Hill, the Victorian social reformer, suggested that: "the postage on all letters received in a post-town, and delivered in the same, or any other post-town in the British Isles, shall be at the uniform rate of one penny per half ounce.”
The concept of a uniform postal rate revolutionised the way people sent mail; where a set fee guaranteed carriage and delivery to anywhere in the country, replacing a complex system of prices and distances.
£1.00: Queen Victoria 1897 Diamond Jubilee
On 23 September 1896, Victoria surpassed George III as the longest-reigning monarch in English, Scottish, and British history. The Queen requested that any special celebrations be delayed until 1897, to coincide with her Diamond Jubilee which was made a festival of the British Empire at the suggestion of Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain.
The prime ministers of all the self-governing dominions were invited, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee procession through London included troops from all over the empire. The parade paused for an open-air service of thanksgiving held outside St Paul's Cathedral, throughout which Victoria sat in her open carriage. The celebration was marked by great outpourings of affection for the septuagenarian Queen.
The image on the stamp features the official Diamond Jubilee photograph of Queen Victoria.
Miniature Sheet
The miniature sheet is made up of four new stamps (1st, 68p, 76p and £1.00) featuring events and individuals from the reign of the House of Hanover. Featured are: Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister, Scottish architect Robert Adam’s masterpiece Kedleston Hall, the first postage stamp, the Penny Black and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The border design features a timeline of the period.