Telegram from High Bickington, Devon to Limpley Stoke, Bath in September 1872

The telegram below was sent from High Bickington, near South Molton, Devon, to Limpley Stoke near Bath in September 1872.  It was delivered from the Freshford Post Office about 3/4 mile away and bears a "FRESHFORD" single ring handstamp.

OHMS envelope from Royal Ordnance Factory Bridgwater, 1975

The Royal Ordnance Factory Bridgwater was constructed early in WWII.  The windowed OHMS envelope below was posted in July 1975.

Jubilee of the Uniform Penny Post, 1890

In 1890 the 50-year jubilee of the establishment of the Uniform Penny Post in 1840 was celebrated. Below is an example of the Post Office Jubilee envelope and its contents, sent within Bath in July 1890 and cancelled by a "BATH / 53" 3-bar Vertical Oval Duplex cancel (3VOD).

Bath 4-Bar Vertical Oval Duplex (4VOD) cancels

There are five impressions registered in the Stamp Impression Book of Bath "53" 4VOD cancels with a flat topped "3", but other handstamps not in the SIB were also used - at least 24 different ones can be distinguished.

Here are examples of three cancels, all on envelopes bearing a pair of ½^d bantam stamps.  Regulations said that each stamp should be separately cancelled but this has been done on only one of the covers.

Burnham "581" 3VOS in 1881 - and Not a Radstock "358" 4VOS c.1877

Below are a couple of less common barred Numeral cancels, the first a Burnham "581" 3-bar vertical oval single cancel used on a registered envelope in 1881 - there is a second strike on the reverse.

The second is a "358" 4-bar vertical oval single cancel on an undated piece.  This is not from Radstock as Radstock did not get allocated Post Office number 358 until later.  "358" was previously allocated to Eardisley in Herefordshire.  The cancel is c. 1877 based on another example known.

Kingston [St. Mary] receipt in 1950, with "S&S / T" perfin from Taunton

The receipt below was sent from Taunton to Cheddon Fitzpaine and then redirected to Teignmouth, Devon.  The receipt bears a KGVI 2d with a "S&S / T" perfin from G.Small & Sons Ltd, Taunton.

Kingston became Kingston St Mary in 1952.

Taunton Dated Penny Post handstamp in Blue (& a cover from Taunton in USA)

Here is an example of the three line "TAUNTON / date / PY POST" handstamp in blue from January 1849.  The Penny Post handstamp is known in blue in 1848 & 1849.

 To go with this, here is another Taunton mark in blue, this time from Taunton, Massachusetts in 1872.

Taunton "776" 1844-type Numeric Obliterator

Here are two examples of the use of the first 1844-type "776" numeric obliterator used at Taunton, the first from May 1844 just after the introduction, and the second from September 1845.  By 1845 the cancel had lost its fourth bar at the bottom.

Taunton Red Maltese Cross February 1841 and letter on Tithes

The entire below is dated 6th February 1841 and is in the last month that the red Maltese Cross cancel was in use.  From March the cancel was in black ink.  The entire also has a "TAUNTON" double-arc dated handstamp without a code - by March a code had been introduced in the top arc.

The contents relate to the Tithe on Hops.