Sunday 30 December 2018

Missent to Crewkerne in 1829, Chard Penny Post in 1828

The entire below from December 1829 was addressed to "Winsham, near Crewkern".  It went to Crewkerne and received a manuscript "Misdirected to" with a "CREWKERNE" mileage erased handstamp.  Winsham came under Chard rather than Crewkerne.

A little bit earlier, in June 1828, the entire below came from Thorncombe in Dorset to Chard in the Chard Penny Post.

Wednesday 26 December 2018

India Letter: Calcutta - Portsmouth - Bath - London

The entire below went from India to London by way of Portsmouth and Bath.

The lower part of the address is crossed out but appears to have been addressed to try Bath first before going to London (one can just about make out "Bath, England" at the bottom).  It has a red framed "INDIA LETTER / PORTSMOUTH" - as an India letter it had a reduced ship letter charge of 4d for up to 3 oz.

The double framed "RETURN'D / FROM BATH" cachet is used two years later than previously known examples.

The entire has a number of postal markings, most of which are crossed out !  I believe the first marking was the "2/7" which would have been 4d India ship letter charge plus 2/3d for the triple letter rate for the approximately 95 miles from Portsmotuh to Bath.  I think this was then inspected and crossed out, being replaced by "3/4" with initials, which would have been 4d India ship letter charge plus 3/- for the 1oz inland letter rate from Portsmouth to Bath. 

I believe this was paid in Bath and it then got charged a further 3/- for the 1oz inland letter rate from Bath to London.  The "6/4" crossed out could have been a charge for the whole route Portsmouth - Bath - London which it seems was cancelled presumably because payment had been made in Bath. 

Sunday 23 December 2018

"P" for Privilege, 1726

The entire below from 1726 has, I think, a "P" for privilege postal marking.  Before 1764 letters which went through the General Post free did not receive a special handstamp but were often cancelled with a manuscript "P" (rather than the postage charge).  This "P" marking often does not look much like a 'P', as shown by illustrations in "Herewith My Frank" by JW Lovegrove.

The entire below is franked with "Frank   E Harley Audt".  Edward Harley had been an MP until 1722 (so would not get free postage in that regard), but was appointed joint Auditor of the Imprest for Life in 1702.  The Auditor of the Imprests was a profitable office of the Exchequer, responsible for auditing the accounts of officers of the English crown to whom money was issued for government expenditure.  There is no definitive list of which offices had free franking privilege in 1726, but a list from 1838 does include the Audit Office, which replaced the Auditors of the Imprest when they were abolished in 1785.

Wednesday 19 December 2018

Dulverton Barred Numeral cancel, 1848

The Dulverton "803" horizontal oval cancel from 1848 illustrated below does not appear to match either of the two cancels recorded in Parmenter & Smith, having four bars below rather than three (to my mind this cancel looks more like an 1844-type cancel than the one illustrated in the reference book).

It also has a "BAMPTON-D" double-arc cancel which the British County Catalogue only has in use until 1846 while Hake in Postal Markings of Devon has it in use until 1847, so this extends the known usage of this handstamp.  The cover illustrates that Dulverton was under Bampton rather than Tiverton during this period.

Sunday 16 December 2018

"BRIDGE / WATER" from 1773

By 1773 Bridgwater was spelt with an "E" in the middle (cf. the previous post).  The entire below has a "BRIDGE / WATER" handstamp with 7mm high lettering, in use 1772-1781. 

Wednesday 12 December 2018

A new "BRIDG / WATER" handstamp from 1744

The entire below, acquired at Stampex in the Autumn, has a new two-line "BRIDG / WATER" handstamp used on 19th June 1744.  The handstamp measures 22 x 9 mm with 3½ mm lettering, compared to the one previously in use (known in use 1721-1739) which measures 23 x 10 mm with 4mm lettering.

Sunday 9 December 2018

Extended date for SO 623 "MINEHEAD"

The SO 623 "MINEHEAD" handstamp (40x4 mm) was previously only known used in 1800.  The second entire on the sheet below extends the known usage to September 1805.


Wednesday 5 December 2018

Bedminster

Bedminster is two miles south of Bristol, just the south side of the River Avon, so is in Somerset under my definition.  The Bristol Postal History Group's four volume book on the "Postal History of Bristol" currently identifies six single ring handstamps.  The sheet below has a further two different handstamps, a "BEDMINSTER BRISTOL" 23mm single ring used in February 1932, and a "BEDMINSTER . BRISTOL 3" 23mm single ring (without a dot before the "3") used in 1964.


Sunday 2 December 2018

Duke of Bridgewater

Not really to do with Somerset but here's a receipt from the Bridgewater Trust Collieries, issued to the Trustees of the late Duke of Bridgewater in 1898.

Wednesday 28 November 2018

Extended date for SO 693 "SOMER / TON"

The Free Front below extends the known dates for the "SOMER / TON" handstamp (27x13 mm, SO 693) by two years to 1743-1784, the previously latest known date of usage being 1782.


Sunday 25 November 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "WIVELSCOMBE / 175" & "YEOVIL / 123"


The last two boxed mileage marks ...  note the spelling of "WIVELSCOMBE", no "I" in the middle (this is how it is pronounced).

WIVELSCOMBE / 175” 1805-1829



YEOVIL / 123” 1801-1811






Wednesday 21 November 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "WELLINGTON / 168", "WELLS - S / 129" (& "WELLS N / 122")


WELLINGTON / 168” 1804-1829



WELLS – S / 129” 1802-1808


Norfolk: “WELLS N / 122” 1804-1820

From Bill Barrell's website, a wrapper used in 1811.

The “other” Wells boxed mileage mark !

Sunday 18 November 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "TAUNTON / 161"


TAUNTON / 161” 1802-1814


The Taunton Fifth Clause Post (later the Penny Post) did not commence until 1808 so it is likely that this letter from Crowcombe was brought into Taunton by private messenger or by a passing carrier.

Wednesday 14 November 2018

Sunday 11 November 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "MINEHEAD / 185"


MINEHEAD / 185” 1801-1807


The overall postal charge of 1/7d does not tie up with the published rates/distances. 10d is the rate to London, 1/2d is the overall rate onwards to Edinburgh (for 600-700 miles). The published mileage from Edinbugh to Kirkwall is 325¾ miles, so at an additional 1d for each 100 miles, that should only be an additional 4d (or 1/6d in total), not the 1/7d charged. Was this just an error by the postal clerk or was there an additional charge, 1d for the ferry to Kirkwall perhaps ?

Wednesday 7 November 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "MILVERTON / 169" & "MILVERTON / 172"


MILVERTON / 169” 1801

Discovered at the Spring Stampex 1990 and described in an article in the October 1990 S&DPHG Journal (Vol.3-2), the handstamp was illustrated but unfortunately not the complete cover.
The handstamp was used in 1801. As described in an article in the September 1994 S&DPHG Journal (Vol.3-10), at that time Milverton did not have an official office and mail from Wiveliscombe and Milverton would be brought into Wellington by one messenger. The Milverton mileage mark was to indicate to the Wellington postmaster how to apportion the fees between Milverton and Wiveliscombe (so there may be a missing “WIVELISCOMBE / 169” to find). The '169' mileage in the Milverton handstamp would be the mileage for Wellington, though when the Wellington mileage mark was issued it was for '168' miles.


MILVERTON / 172” 1805-1833


This second handstamp dates from after an official Receiving House was set up in Milverton, and the mileage from Wellington was 'calculated into the entire distance each letter will be conveyed' [Freeling Reports 25 July 1804].

Sunday 4 November 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "ILMINSTER / 143" & "LANGPORT / 140"


Two more of the boxed mileage marks.

ILMINSTER / 143” 1801-1821


LANGPORT / 140” 1805-1846




Wednesday 31 October 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "DULVERTON / 187" & "ILCHESTER / 130"


DULVERTON / 187” 1801-1816


This entire was sent free to the Honourable Hugh Clifford, eldest son of Charles Clifford, 6th baron Clifford of Chudleigh, by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, MP for Devon, who has franked it.

Unfortunately I do not have a copy of either Frome mileage mark.

ILCHESTER / 130” 1803-1807


This entire is from the year before the earliest example previously known.

Sunday 28 October 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "BRUTON / 142"


BRUTON / 142” 1802-1809


Bruton and Castle Cary were Post Towns until the introduction of the Fifth Clause Posts from Shaftesbury (later from Wincanton) and Shepton Mallet in 1823.

Unfortunately I do not have an example of the “CASTLE-CAREY / 145” mark.

Wednesday 24 October 2018

Boxed Mileage Marks - "BATH / 109" & "BRIDGEWATER / 150"

In 1784 the Post Office introduced handstamps with the mileage to London on them, to aid post office clerks in determining the postal charges. These handstamps had a limited life as the mileage to London changed as the postal routes altered and after about five years the Post Office stopped issuing them.
By the end of the 18th century the Postmaster General had instructed John Cary, a map-maker, to prepare a survey of all the principal roads in the country under the supervision of the Superintendent of Mail Coaches. This was used in the issue of the second series of boxed mileage stamps from 1801.

Cat No Type Handstamp Comments Size (mm) Colour Dates Rarity
SO 17
29
AXBRIDGE / 141
36x10
Black
1804
C
80
29
BATH / 109
19x10
Black
1801-04
E
224
29
BRIDGEWATER / 150
52x12
Black
1802-11
D
299
29
BRUTON / 142
25x10
Black
1802-09
D
320
29
CASTLE-CAREY / 145
52x11
Black
1804-22
E
444
29
DULVERTON / 187
36x10
Black
1801-16
C
488
29
FROOM / 115
22x10
Black
1802-07
D
490
29
FROOME / 115
25x11
Black
1803-04
D
537
29
ILCHESTER / 130
35x11
Black
1804-07
D
553
29
ILMINSTER / 143
35x11
Black
1801-21
D
591
29
LANGPORT / 140
34x11
Black
1805-46
C
603
29
MILVERTON / 169
35x11
Black
1801
H
604
29
MILVERTON / 172
39x11
Black
1805-33
C
624
29
MINEHEAD / 185
35x11
Black
1801-07
D
674
29
SHEPTON-MALLET / 135
55x11
Black
1801-10
D
703
29
SOMERTON / 135
35x11
Black
1804-11
D
783
29
TAUNTON / 161
35x11
Black
1802-14
D
860
29
WELLINGTON / 168
43x11
Black
1804-29
C-D
917
29
WELLS-S / 129
28x11
Black
1802-08
D
1019
29
WIVELSCOMBE / 175
56x12
Black
1805-29
C-D
1060
29
YEOVIL / 125
27x11
Black
1801-11
C

Unfortunately I do not (yet) have an example of the “AXBRIDGE / 141” mark.

BATH / 109” 1801-1804


BRIDGEWATER / 150” 1802-1811