Minehead selection 1705 to 1915

A few items of Minehead post, starting with an entire dated February 1705 with a straight-line "MINEHEAD".  

This handstamp is known used from 1703 to 1719, earlier than the first handstamp known from Taunton which is only known used from 1704.

The next entire is dated 1779 bearing a two-line "MINE / HEAD" handstamp, at the end of its known usage (1737 - 1779).  It is from Luxborough, about 8 miles south of Minehead, to Nether Stowey, about 12 miles north of Taunton.

The entire below is a Money Letter, one containing coin or jewellery, sent in August 1838.  It was treated as registered free of charge as an internal measure to avoid losses in the post.

 

This next item went from Minehead to London on 25th November 1850.  It actually originated in Rio de Janeiro (see contents below) and is extremely likely to be a ship letter even though it wasn't marked or charged as such.  On 25th November 1850 there was a severe gale with squalls, with ships foundering in the Bristol Channels with loss of life.  It is likely that the ship bearing the letter put into Minehead to escape the weather.

The sender of the novelty postcard below in July 1915 obeyed the rules for Printed Matter, surprising the Post Office which was so used to the rules being broken that they franked it for 1d postage due and then had to cancel the charge with a barred numeral cancel.

Crewkerne misdirected, missent and miscellaneous

A few Crewkerne covers, starting with one misdirected to Crewkerne in 1816.  It was incorrectly addressed to "Chard, Crewkerne".  The cover has a faint "CREWKERN / 134" handstamp.

The next item was missent to Crewkerne from London in 1821, this time to Whatley which was under Frome.  It has a straight -line "CREWKERN" handstamp which is probably the top line of the "CREWKERN / 134" handstamp.

The entire below was sent from Crewkerne to Chard, a distance of about 8 miles and was charged 2d in September 1839.  This was the new rate introduced from January 1838 for distances up to 8 miles.

 

The next item are a pair of covers sent in December 1878, one from Crewkerne, the other from Yeovil, concerning the estate of William Bond, sent at the Printed Matter rate.

Finally the postcard below from the USA in 1914 was charged 1d postage due because the sender had only franked it at the 1c US domestic rate rather than the 2c international rate. 

Ilminster Damaged Mail, Strike Mail, Stolen Mail

The envelope below was damaged in the cancellation machine at Ilminster on 23rd March 1971, and repaired with Post Office tape.

During the seven week Postal strike in 1971, the Ilminster Postmaster Mr Withers continued a limited local mail delivery service.  The strike began on 20th January and continued until 8th March 1971.

In September 2000 a postman at Ilminster was jailed after being caught stealing from letters.

Postage Due at Ilminster in the 1990s

Throughout the 1990s "TO PAY" stamps applied for Postage Due were left uncancelled at Ilminster.

This first cover has a fixed surcharge fee of 15p, plus the deficiency of 19p for a total of 34p.

The next item has the same handling fee of 15p for a total of 19p in this case.

The example below now has a "SURCHARGE" of 15p rather than a Handling Fee.

The Handling Fee increased to 20p from 8th July 1996, as did the second class postage rate.

By 2003 any Postage Due had to be paid for at the Delivery Office or a Post Office.

Ilminster Local Post 1988-1990

From 1979 mail from Ilminster went to Bristol for sorting and cancellation as witnessed by this postcard from dentists in Ilminster to an address in Ashill.  The addressee had "Gone Away" so it was returned to Ilminster.

From 1988 to 1990 mail posted in Ilminster for an Ilminster address was sorted locally at Ilminster and cancelled with rubber packet cancels or obsolete handstamps.

The practice was short lived and was stopped by Royal Mail, the decision not being reversed despite protests by local residents in the newspapers and TV.

Some Ilminster PAID marks from the 1960s with Council Rates demands

These first couple of sheets haven't been written up yet but they all relate to the payment of Council Rates, starting with 1960 (May and October) ...

... then 1961 and 1966.  Sent as Printed Matter, the rate was 2d from ast June 1956, going up to 2½d on 1st October 1961 and 3d on 17th May 1965 ....

... and finally 1965 and 1967.   The top cover has the inside of the dater inverted and has the time inserted but no year (the year can be deduced from the contents).

Here are the contents of the May 1960 rates cover, and the receipt for payment of £4 - 1s - 4d.

Ilminster from WW2 onwards

The first item was a key part of  life in WW II, being a National Service certificate of registration, in this case for an Agricultural Worker.

The postal service carried on through WW 2 using the same cancels and postal stationery.

Below is an Advice of Delivery of a Registered Letter, sent within Ilminster in March 1946 - it travelled a distance of about a third of a mile.

The handstamps continued to be used, here is the "ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" double circle double-arc cancel in use from 1954 to 1969.

Ilminster between the Wars

The first two covers here are censored in July and August 1916 from Ilminster to Switzerland.

Moving on to January 1917, the card below is from Montreal and has a poor example of the "ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" skeleton cancel from that period.

In February 1919, here is a postcard to Crewkerne with a single ring cancel.

... and then "a couple of "ILMINSTER / +" double circle double-arc cancels from 1922 and 1923.

By 1924 the cancel had been replaced with an "ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" double circle double-arc cancel (here are examples from 1924, 1925, 1926).

Not all items went via the Post Office, freight would have gone by the railway as evidenced by this receipt for cartage of wheat from 1925.

The "ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" double circle double-arc cancel was replaced by one with smaller lettering as shown on the postcard below from June 1930 ...

... and by this airmail from Ilminster to Buenos Aires that went via Paris (rather than via Germany).

The envelope below is from France to Ilminster in 1938 and was underfranked so charged postage due.  It was probably franked at the domestic rather than international rate and has tax marks including a "T" in a triangle.

Ilminster - examples from 1880s onwards

A few posts on Ilminster coming up .... starting with a 20mm single ring receiving mark from March 1886 on a postcard from Yeovil "Please let yr Chestnut mare be in the Sale Yard at abt 11 o'clock and much oblige.  Also kindly let us know your reserve price."

From January 1888, here is a piece from a parcel from Ilminster to Cullompton in January 1888.  The Post Office parcel service started on 1st August 1883.  6d was the parcel rate for 2-3 lb.

The "ILMINSTER / +" double circle double-arc cancel is shown here in use from 1903 to 1908.

Single ring cancels were also in use, as shown by these examples from 1912 and 1924.

Here are a couple of unadopted large registration etiquettes, the top from 1912 and the bottom one undated with a violet straight-line "ILMINSTER".