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The General Post Office (GPO) was officially established in England in 1660 by Charles II and it eventually grew to combine the functions of both the state postal system and telecommunications carrier. In 1969 it was abolished and the assets transferred to the newly-created Post Office Corporation, changing it from a Department of State to a Statutory Corporation which was in turn split into separate Post Office and British Telecommunications Corporations in 1981. For the more recent history of the postal system in the United Kingdom, see the article: Royal Mail.