Sunday 17 May 2015

Taunton 1834 Penny Post - with boxed "No.1" handstamp ?

The entire below is a bit of a mystery.  It was written in "Taunton" in 1834 and appears to have received a boxed "No.1" receiving house handstamp on its way as a short letter (one that did not go in the General Post) to Chapel Cleeve, near Washford, and was charged 2d as a short letter.

It was then reposted to Bath at the Washford receiving house, getting the unboxed "No.7" receiving house handstamp, and was charged 9d in total (1d for the Penny Post plus 8d for 50-80 miles in the General Post).


It is all consistent - except that I believe the boxed "No.1" handstamp went out of use at Gore Inn, near Bishops Lydeard, in 1828 when the Taunton Penny Posts were reorganised and Bishops Lydeard was given the unboxed "No.2" handstamp.

Did the boxed handstamp carry on being used ?  Was it perhaps used by mistake ??

The handstamp is slightly different from earlier ones, but this is probably because it was not struck straight (the left hand box edge is angled away from the right hand one).
 Handstamp from 1828.

Handstamp above, from 1834.

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