Bristol Penny Post - Clifton, Keynsham

Clifton was originally the boxed "No.2" receiving house in the Bristol Penny Post and seven different boxed "No.2" handstamps are known.  Here is a poor example of the fifth one from June 1827, probably just before it was replaced.

The entire does have a nice "TOO LATE" handstamp, of the third type that was in use at Bristol.

Keynsham was the boxed "No.10" receiving house, with four different boxed handstamps known and one unboxed one.  This is an example of the unboxed handstamp from December 1837.

Bristol "B / RIS / TOL"

The next few posts are going to be a burst of Bristol, starting with an example of the large "B" with "RIS" and "TOL" in the loops from April 1758.

The "B" measures 18-19 mm x 21mm, or 20mm wide if you include the serif on the "B".  Examples of this type of handstamp are known from 1747 to 1772.  Individual handstamps did not last long, being carved from wood, so there are a lot of different examples (I don't have many examples but have yet to find two the same).

Offices under Bath - Road (Rode), Sparkford

"Road" came under Bath by 1855 and was renamed "Rode" in 1919.  It transferred to Frome in 2001.  This first sheet has items from March 1891 and August 1906.

Here is a registered item from May 1917 - it appears as if it may have come under Frome at the time ?

Sparkford came under Bath until it transferred to Yeovil in 1925.  Here is an item from December 1898.

Offices under Bath - Queen Camel, Radstock

Queen Camel has been under a number of different Post Towns - it started under Sherborne in Dorset, then transferred to Taunton, then to Bath, and finally to Yeovil.  Here is an envelope from March 1890 when it was under Bath.

Radstock was an office under Bath until 2001 when it became a Post Town.  Here is an envelope from August 1873 with a rather blurred Radstock handstamp on the reverse and a Bath cancel on the front.

Offices under Bath - Henstridge

The map of Offices under Bath that I showed in my last post did not include Henstridge.  It should have done based on the marks on these couple of sheets (1903 - 1906).  The second sheet has an image of a nice period view of Henstridge from the postcard..

Offices under Bath - Codford St Mary (Wilts), Evercreech

The next few posts will be a very few of the offices under Bath. The map below illustrates the maximum extent of Bath's reach (though not all were necessarily under Bath in the same period).

Here is an envelope from Codford St Mary in Wiltshire from May 1891, under Bath until 1908.

A couple of items from Evercreech, from July 1868 and December 1892.

Frome UDC

A nice clean undated circular handstamp from Frome on an entire to London dated 17th April 1835.  The handstamp is known in use from 1828 to 1838.

Chard "R.L.O. for disposal"

I'm not quite sure where this cover went - it started in Ilminster and was addressed to Chard, was undelivered and apparently sent to "R.L.O. Chard for disposal" and may then have been opened and resealed at Taunton and returned to Ilminster - but your view may differ !