British Commonwealth Stamps  »  Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation situated in the Caribbean Sea.

Jamaica was the first British colony to operate its own postal service, appointing Gabriel Martin as postmaster on 31 October 1671.

Martin carried mail between St. Jago and Passage Fort for several years. In the 1680s, sea captain James Wale secured the support of the Earl of Rochester to set up a post office but the service was not a success, it was not until 1705 that a statute was created to legally establish a postal service and allow the postmaster to charge a fee for the delivery of mail. Letters were carried by a packet service until 1711, then the postal service lapsed again until re-established by Governor Nicholas Lawes in 1720.

By the 1780s there were 20 or more post offices across the island.

The use of stamps began on 8 May 1858, with stamps of Great Britain. In 1860 first issue of Jamaican stamps consisted of five values ranging from one penny to one shilling, each with a different frame, inscribed "JAMAICA POSTAGE", and were watermarked with a pineapple design.