Cross UDC as a missent mark

Here is an entire with a fairly faint example of the Cross Undated Circular handstamp (UDC) from 1836, with a manuscript "not" written in it to indicate that the entire has been missent to Cross.

Skeletons from Batheaston, Bridg(e)water and Crewkerne

Here are a few skeletons, firstly two from Batheaston in September 1912 which bring the earliest date known forward ...

... secondly one from Bridgwater in 1849 which extends the known usage back ...

... and finally one from Crewkerne from 1842 in the middle on the known usage period.

Bristol ... various

A random selection of Bristol marks, starting with a Bristol Penny Post in red from Hotwells, which had the boxed "No.1" handstamp at the time (later it had "No.2" while Clifton had "No.1").

Next an entire from 1829, posted too late to make the post.

From 1847 here is a Bristol 4HOS type A, with the rounded top to the "3".

A commemorative cover from 1970, celebrating the return of the SS Great Britain to Bristol.

And finally, with single ring "COLSTON STREET BRISTOL 1" cancels, a philatelic first day cover for the 1946 Victory issue.

Sub-Offices under Taunton

This YouTube video (click here) shows which sub-offices came under Taunton, from 1700 to the present day.  The image below shows the offices under Taunton between 1840 and 1860.

The images are taken from my webpage here, by selecting Taunton (under Post Towns) and specifying a range of dates.  Below is an image of the website showing all the offices in Somerset.

Bath to London in 1683 & 1684

This pair of entires are from Bath to London in December 1683 and December 1684.  There are no Bath markings (the earliest known mark from Bath is from 1706) but both have London Bishop marks.

Charterhowse Hydon to Ashton 1636

The entire below was sent from Charterhowse Hydon (later Hinton Charterhouse) to [Long] Ashton on 2nd Janaury 1636 - there are no postal or rate markings.

The London Gazette August 1687

The London Gazette was first published as The Oxford Gazette on 7^th November 1665.  Charles II and the Royal Court had moved to Oxford to escape the Great Plague of London, and courtiers were unwilling to touch, let alone hold to read, London newspapers for fear of contagion.  The Gazette was "Published by Authority" by Henry Muddiman, and its first publication is noted by Samuel Pepys in his diary.  The King returned to London as the plague dissipated, and the Gazette moved too, with the first issue of The London Gazette (labelled No. 24) being published on 5^th  February 1666.

The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published. The Gazette was not a newspaper in the modern sense: it was sent by post to subscribers, not printed for sale to the general public.

One of the items published in The Gazette was notices about the Post and the Post Office.  In August 1687 Queen Mary of Modena, second wife to James II, came to Bath in an endeavour to become pregnant, and as a result a special post to Bath was set up and announced in the London Gazette.

 

Another Bridg[e]water Penny Post Receiving House handstamp

I've just acquired another Bridgwater Penny Post entire with an unboxed "No.9" receiving house handstamp from 1839.  The "No.9" handstamp was used at Cossington, and this entire was written at Edington, two miles to the east.  The contents of the entire relate to Cheese.