Sunday 9 April 2017

West Town and "Wincaunton"

West Town is 8 miles WSW of Bristol, which is its Post Town.  It was in the Bristol Penny Post from 1816 and became an R.S.O. in 1861, at which point it was allocated post office number B45.  It went back under Bristol in 1895 and was replaced by 'Backwell' in 1951.  This entire has a straight line "WEST TOWN" handstamp with a date inside of March 1824.  This is currently the only example known.

And here is an early Wincanton handstamp, a "WINCAUN / TON" from 1776 (known 1773-1776).  An earlier straight line "WINCANTON" is known from 1769 but only in the archives.

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