The Alloa Penny Post - see picture (a letter posted - Alloa post 21st June 1830) - started about 1830 and runners delivered the mail to the outlying villages. The Alloa Penny Post was replaced by the Uniform Penny Post (e.g 1d Black stamps etc) in 1840. Tullibody Post Office, opened sometime between 1830 and 1840, was made official in 1841. It was still receiving mail via Alloa until 1843. Its first postmark was its name in a circle with two arcs at bottom similar to the postmark on the envelope in the picture. The Tullibody postmark is known from 1849-59 in blue. Clackmannan, Dollar and Tillicoultry were also issued with similar namestamps in this period Information and picture from Bill Cameron in Canada - March 4, 2005

Life and Times of the Stamp (in the UK) - from The Daily Mail - Tuesday, September 19, 2006
1840 -The Penny Black, the Worlds first adhesive postage stamp, is issued for use on May 6 following a government reform paper which suggested a postage should be prepaid by the sender. A Two Penny Blue is also issued. Both feature Queen Victoria's head.
1854 - Perforations appear for the the first time. Until then, stamps had to be cut from their sheet with scissors.
1924 - The first UK commemorative stamp is issued, marking the opening of the British Empire Exhibition
1966 - Special Christmas stamps are issued for the first time. The Royal Mail now prints more than 480 million festive stamps per year.
1968 - First and Second Class postage is introduced.
1982 - Royal Mail produces its longest ever stamp - the Information Technology stamp, which measures 72.3 mm, almost three inches.
2001 - The Cats and Dogs collection become the first self-adhesive stamps issued in the UK.
2006 - Online scheme allows Royal Mail customers to pay for postage on the web, without the need to buy traditional stamps. The Queen's head does not appear on the new bar-code 'stamps'. - http://www.royalmail.com/onlinepostage

Postal History in the UK - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamps_and_postal_history_of_the_United_Kingdom