Taunton Fifth Clause Post

The next set of posts to this blog are going to be on Taunton, firstly on the Fifth Clause and Penny Posts pre- and post- the 1828 reorganisation, and then, probably, on the handstamps.  This will be an updated version of what I've already posted.  These posts are in memory of Tony Osmond, a long-time collector of Taunton material, who sadly died at the end of 2013.

Taunton's Fifth Clause Post was established in January 1808 from Taunton to Minehead, with Receiving Houses at Handy Cross, Monksilver, Torre and Dunster.  Gore Inn near Bishop's Lydeard was probably also a Receiving House.

In 1817 the Receiving House at Handy Cross was closed as the number of letters were 'trifling', and by the middle of 1817 at the latest, Gore Inn near Bishop's Lydeard was converted to a Penny Post.  It was also around 1816-17 that boxed handstamps were issued, "No.1" to Gore Inn (which may have become a Penny Post by the time the handstamp was issued), "No.2" to Monksilver, "No.3" to Torre and "No.4" to  Dunster.

In April 1823 the Torre and Monksilver Receiving Houses were converted to Penny Posts.  Dunster remained Fifth Clause because of objections from Mr Luttrell of Dunster Castle.  This lasted until February 1829 when Dunster became a bye-office so letters were charged according to the General Post rate based on the mileage to the town.

The first example I have from the Taunton Fifth Clause Post does not have any markings to indicate this.  It is from 1814, so before the boxed Receiving House handstamps were issued.  It was written in Chapel Cleeve, 3 miles north of the Torre Receiving House.

The postal charge does not include anything for the Fifth Clause Post because the Fifth Clause Post charges were supposed to be paid by the sender.  When a Fifth Clause Post was set up it was agreed and underwritten by the (principal) inhabitants so that the Post Office would not bear any losses.  As part of this, the charging scheme for the Post was agreed (it did not have to be a straight 1d like the Penny Post).  A consequence was that the local inhabitants were supposed to pay the costs of the Fifth Clause Post directly as they were the ones that had agreed them.