Yet more early serif UDCs - Upper Clevedon, Pensford, Pilton, Curry-Rival, ...

Upper Clevedon's UDC was registered on 9th May 1843 and is known used from June 1843 to September 1850 in black, with a single example in yellow known from 1851.  The example below in black is relatively late usage from April 1850.

Pensford's UDC was not registered in the Steel Impression Book, but is known used from July 1843 to August 1850.  The two examples below are from January 1844 and July 1850.

Pilton's UDC was registered in the SIB on 3rd January 1844 and is known used from 1845 to August 1855.  the example below is from January 1852.

Curry-Rival's UDC was registered on 7th February 1844 and is known used in black from 1848 to February 1857 and in blue from August 1851 to January 1858.  The example in blue below is from June 1852.

More early serif UDCs - Bedminster, Brislington, Nailsea ....

Bedminster's UDC is not in the Steel Impression Book - it is known used from April 1840.  The example below may be the latest known usage from September 1848.

Brislington's UDC was registered in the SIB on 4th February 1841 and is known used from April 1841 to May 1854 in black, with a single example known used in blue in July 1846.  The examples below are from September 1843 and July 1844.

Nailsea's UDC was registered on 9th May 1843 and is known used from May 1843 to October 1850.  The example below is realatively late usage, being from July 1850.

Remaining early serif UDCs - Bruton, Castle Cary, Burnham Somst., Keynsham, ....

There are 32 more early (serif) UDCs, mostly of 29 mm diameter.  Of these, three - Burnham (March 1836), Merriott (December 1840) and Totterdown (March 1844) - are not known used.  Two others, Chewton-Mendip (March 1840) and Saltford (November 1842) have only a single example known.

Bruton's 26 mm diameter UDC was issued on 22nd June 1835.  The partial example below may be the latest known, from 2nd January 1850.

Castle Cary's UDC was registered in the Steel Impression Book on 22nd June 1835 and is known used from March 1836 to June 1846.  The example below is from June 1844.

Burnham Somst.'s UDC was registered in the Steel Impression Book on 7th January 1840 and is known used from 1842-1849  (not to be confused with the earlier March 1836 UDC which has no known examples).  The example below is from October 1843.

Keynsham's UDC was registered in the SIB on 30th March 1840 and is known used from 1840 to August 1849 in black, with a single example known in red from June 1843.  The examples below are from July 1848.

To be continued ....

Early non-standard serif UDCs - Wellington, Ilminster, Beckington

All of the remaining early UDCs (those issued before the introduction during 1844 of sans serif 25 mm diameter UDCs) are 29 mm diameter serif UDCs, except for those from Wellington, Ilminster and Beckington.

Wellington's UDC was issued on 11th March 1830 and is known used from 1830 to 1839.  The first example is from November 1836 while the second is from August 1837.

The example below is undated.

Ilminster's UDC has no entry in the Steel Impression Book and is known used from 1835 to 1839 according to the British County Catalogue.  Uniquely in Somerset it only has a single arc.  .

The handstamp was drilled to hold a date on 19th June 1839 (and repaired on 19th June 1841).  Here is an example of the handstamp with the date included from 1845.

Beckington's UDC again has no entry in the SIB and is known used in 1840.  Another large (29 mm) serif UDC was issued and is known used from June 1845 to October 1849 in black, and from June 1852 to January 1856 in blue. I don't have an example of this rare handstamp.

Smaller early serif UDCs - Dulverton and Chard (but not Ilchester)

There are six towns with smaller (24 mm or less) UDCs in a serif font - South Petherton, Frome, Wiveliscombe, Dulverton, Chard and Ilchester.  Here are my examples of two of the last three - unfortunately I do not have an example of the Ilchester UDC.

Dulverton did not have an entry in the Steel Impression Book (SIB) for its UDC.  It is known used from 1830 to 1850.  Below are some examples from 1834 and 1835.

Chard also did not have an entry in the SIB for its UDC.  It is known used from 1831 to 1839.  The bottom of the two entires on the sheet below shows the UDC used in October 1836.

Again Ilchester did not have an entry in the SIB for its UDC.  It is known used from November 1836 to March 1838, a relatively short period which may explain why I haven't got an example.

Smaller early serif UDCs - South Petherton, Frome and Wiveliscomb(e)

There are six towns with smaller (24 mm or less) UDCs in a serif font - South Petherton, Frome, Wiveliscombe, Dulverton, Chard and Ilchester.  Here are my examples of the first three.

South Petherton's UDC was registered in the Steel Impression Book (SIB) on 5th May 1828 and is known used  until February 1839.  The first example below from November 1828 may be the earliest known use, while the second example is from August 1837 (with a nice "Missent to Bristol" cachet).

Frome's UDC is not in the SIB but is known used between July 1828 and 1838.  The entire below is from May 1834.

Wiveliscombe's UDC was registered on 4th May 1829 and is known used between May 1829 and 1841.  The handstamp (and the Post Town in the SIB entry) are spelt "WIVELISCOMB" with no final "E".  The example below is from October 1835.

Cross UDC

The Cross UDC was the earliest of this format to be introduced, with the entry in the Steel Impression Book on 26th September 1827.  It had two periods of use, from 1827 to 1838, and from 1842 to 1850, with a handstamp of a similar format but with a date being used from 1839 to 1841.

Around the time that the dated handstamp stopped being used (1841-2), Cross stopped being a Post Town and came under Wells (and thus didn't need a dated handstamp as the dated handstamp would have come from Wells, its Post Town).

I haven't found an example of the Cross UDC from the earlier (1827-1838) period.

Here's an example of the dated handstamp from the 1839-1841 period, this example from February 1841.

And here are some examples of the Cross UDC from the later (1842-1850) period.  First, from July 1842, is an entire with a very faint Cross UDC on the reverse (above the stamp) and an unboxed "No.7" handstamp, possibly from Mark.

Here's an example from January 1846, with the boxed "No.10" of South Brent.

I've shown this example fairly recently, with a large unboxed "No.7" from July 1846, which may possibly be the "No.7" from the Bridgwater Penny Post.

Two more examples of the Cross UDC from January 1845 and February 1849, these with the boxed "No.9" handstamp from Wedmore (the UDC on the lower example is extremely faint on top of the start of the addressee's name).

Somerset UnDated Circular (UDC) handstamps

The majority of undated circular handstamps (henceforth referred to as UDCs, though pedantically it probably should be UDC handstamps) were issued to minor offices after the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post.  The earlier marks, from the mid 1820s, were in seriffed capitals and mostly larger (29mm, though there were some smaller 24mm handstamps).

The handstamps in these minor offices were supposed to be applied on the reverse, or after 1840, away from any postage stamp, with any postage stamp being cancelled at the post town (so to be pedantic again, they were definitely handstamps rather than cancels).

In the middle of 1844, the larger marks with seriffed capitals gave way to standardised handstamps in sans-serif capitals, which were smaller (25mm); this is the same period as when the barred numeral obliterator cancels were introduced for the Post Towns.

Then in the second half of 1857 to August 1859 smaller (19mm) single-arc and single ring UDCs were issued.  The stamping of letters at all offices using UDCs came to an end in 1860.  By then many letters were being posted in letter boxes and it became less relevant to identify the place of posting.

There were 42 early seriffed UDCs issued in Somerset (mostly the larger type) - or 43 if you include one issued for Broadwinsor, an office in Dorset that came under Crewkerne.  Of the 42, no examples are known of three and two others only have a single example known.

The next few posts are my examples of the earliest UDCs (I may have shown a number of these already, under different subject headings).

Wells

A few more items that I've acquired in the last months, this time from the City of Wells.  Firstly an entire from Wells to London with a "WELLS / 129" with boxed mileage (as opposed to with lines above and below the mileage).

Then a couple of items with Penny Post Receiving House handstamps, both from 1824.  The No.5 Receiving House in the Wells Penny Post was Axbridge, which also used a straight line handstamp.  This entire has both the straight line "AXBRIDGE", a boxed "No.5" and also a "WELLS SOMT / Penny Post" handstamp for good measure.

The second Penny Post item also has the "WELLS SOMT / Penny Post" handstamp along with a boxed "No.15" Receiving House mark.  This entire, from Writhlington, would have travelled via Old Down and that is where the boxed "No.15" handstamp came from - Old Down used the boxed "No.15" handstamp between 1823 and 1826.