Harry and Ewart Hebditch, Martock Poultry Farmers

Harry and Ewart Hebditch were poultry farmers in Martock, expanding their business into selling poultry housing.  This first invoice is from Harry Hebditch in September 1915.

In December 1917 the commercial envelope was in use, postmarked Christmas Eve.

The commercial envelope below was from Ewart Hebditch in 1958, advertising "Trapnesting".

Forestry Commission cachet, 1940

The OHMS registered envelope below was sent from Alma Vale, Bristol to the Forestry Commission, Exeter in November 1940 and received a Forestry Commission cachet, either on despatch in Bristol or on receipt in Exeter.

As was common during WW II, the envelope was reused, with an address label stuck on the front.  Below is another OHMS envelope from March 1946 with a blurred Forestry Commission cachet.  The page also shows an image of handstamps from a ledger of essays and specimens of certifying handstamps for British official mail.

FORESTRY COMMISSION

Before 1919, Britain had no State forest policy in any accepted sense of the term.  Previous action in relation to woodland had been taken ad hoc in relation to specific problems arising in relation to the Crown forests or to the provision of oak for naval purposes.  When this requirement petered out, the country reverted to a laissez faire policy encouraged by a vista of apparently infinite cheap imports from overseas.  The necessities of the 1914-18 war drew the Government's attention to the danger of undue reliance on timber imports.  Following a report by the Acland Committee, and Interim Forest Authority was set up in 1918 and a Forestry Bill passed in 1919.  This Act established the Forestry Commission and gave it wide powers to acquire and plant land, promote timber supply and forest industries, undertake education and research, make grants and give advice to woodland owners.  For Great Britain, the long-term target was to bring into production all the then felled and devastated land in addition, to increase the conifer woodland area by approximately 720,000 ha to an overall total of 1,930,000 ha.

 

Since its inception, the Forestry Commission has been the main driving force in the UK behind forestry refurbishment and expansion in the twentieth Century.  Its programme of afforestation coupled with effective staff training and a programme of applied research has given it a standing of international renown.  The target identified initially by Acland and renewed in 1943 of 5 million acres (ie. 2 million ha) of productive forest by the end of the century was achieved with a few years in hand.  There was only a small net change in the gross woodland area of Great Britain in between 1913 and 1939.  Since then however, the total area has nearly doubled.  The net area of privately owned woodland did not increase however until after 1965.  What increases in woodland area there were until 1965 can be attributed to the activities of the Forestry Commission - the State forest service.  The handstamps for the Interim Forest Authority (1919) and the Forestry Commission (1920, 1926, 1944 and 1947) are from a ledger of essays and specimens of certifying handstamps for British official mail (1901-1964).

 

Wells Cross Post 1710

The entire below is dated 11th March, and is believed to be from 1710 (a couple of other examples are known from 1709).  It has a rare "WELLS / X" cross-post handstamp, one of a series used for mail that was going on the Exeter - Bristol route without going via London.

The entire is from the same correspondence as other cross-post letters from  Croscombe to Plymouth.  This letter is asking why the correspondent hasn't had any reply.

Yeovil - 1878 and 1972

The cover below, sent in September 1878 from South Petherton to Montacute, was underfranked as it weighed more than 1 oz.  It received a framed "More to pay / above ... oz / 929" cachet with a manuscript "1".

The much more modern cover below was undelivered in Yeovil in 1972 and returned to the sender in Norwich.  It was addressed to "Petter's Engines Ltd, Yeovil" and was marked "UNKNOWN / AT YEOVIL. / SOMERSET." in a violet framed cachet. 

In 1894 the family business James B. Petter & Sons were ironmongers in Yeovil, and hired Ben Jacobs who was instrumental in their business to make high speed steam engines.  In 1910 Petter Ltd. became a public company, later moving to Westland and then purchasing the Vickers factory in Ipswich.  See https://www.farmcollector.com/company-history/petter-engine/ for many more details of the history.

Poole Ship Letter, 1808

Here is an 1808 Ship Letter from Poole, Dorset to Edinburgh, with an oval "Ship Letter / crown / POOL" handstamp, in use 1804-1814.

The cover was charged "1N6" or 1/6d, which would be 1/2d for 500-600 miles in the General Post from Poole to Edinburgh via London, plus 4d Ship Letter sealed bag fee, making 1/6d in total.

Wells Parcel Post 1896-1900

The sheet below has three Parcel Post Labels (PPLs) used at Wells, in 1896, 1897 and 1900.  The top PPL has a large handstruck "3" for the parcel post charge - 3d was the minimum parcel rate, for a 1-2 lb parcel.  The second PPL has a triangular "WEJ" handstamp used on telegraphs and "WELLS SOMERSET / M.O & S.B" circular handstamps (Money Order & Savings Bank), while the third PPL has "WELLS / SOMERSET" circular handstmaps.

 

Woodyates (Dorset) Penny Post on an envelope December 1839

Woodyates was a Post Town in Dorset halfway betwen Salisbury and Blandford Forum, which closed before April 1845.  The envelope below was from Thickthorne which was the "No.1" receiving house in the Woodyates Penny Post, and was sent as Free in December 1839, after the introduction of the Uniform Fourpenny Post.  Because it was sent free there was only the 1d Penny Post to pay, the letter being free in the General Post.  

This was an early use of the envelope as prior to the introduction of Uniform Fourpenny Post the postage was was based on the number of sheets of paper (and an envelope counted as a sheet, effectively doubling the cost of sending a letter).

 

 

Entire from London to Taunton Castle, 1699

The entire below was sent from London to "William Harvey at the Castle in Taunton Somersetshire" in November 1699.  William Harvey was the Clerk of Taunton Castle and looked after the Taunton Deane estate.

The entire has a large "S" in a circle handstamp from a Letter Receiver in London, but who this was has not been identified.
 

Wellington Parcel Post Labels, including for Egerton Burnett's Special Private Post Office

A Parcel Post service was introduced in Great Britain on 1st August 1883 following UPU agreement in 1880.  The following sheets show some Parcel Post Labels for Wellington ("SOM." to distinguish it from Wellington in Shropshire), starting with one from November 1883 when the service was called the Parcels Post.

The next two Parcel Post Labels are from around 1895, ...

... and a final example from the same period.

These next two Parcel Post Labels are for Egerton Burnett's Special Private Post Office, the first used in May 1895.

 

and the second in March 1896.