Winford is seven miles south-east of Bristol. Here is an example of its double-arc UDC from June 1851.
Winford is not to be confused with Winsford, four miles south of Dulverton and some 55 miles to the south-west. Winsford had a double-arc udc known from June 1854.
.... and later a single ring udc, here used in November 1857.
Here is another example used in blue in April 1858.
Here are a few mobile post office cancels starting with a "MOBILE POST OFFICE / A" cancel used under Shepton Mallet in 1954 at the Mid-Somerset Agricultural Show,
The cancel used under Bristol in 1958 at the Royal Agricultural Show was "MOBILE POST OFFICE 2 / A", as shown below.
The cancel was used again in April 1960 at the Taunton Jumping Festival at Milverton, with a typed large unattributed registration etiquette.
In May 1962 a "MOBILE POST OFFICE 2 / B" cancel was used at the Bath & West Show under Taunton.
And finally the "MOBILE POST OFFICE No.3 / B" cancel was used in September 1960 at the Mid-Somerset Agricultural Show, and the "MOBILE POST OFFICE 1 / A" cancel was used in June 1966 at the Bath & West Show, both under Shepton Mallet.
Here are two unfranked postcard from abroad going to Ilminster with postage due, one of which I think is right and one wrong (with my pencil calculations in the margins).
The top postcard was sent in March 1989 and has two red "-8 MAR 1989 41P TO PAY" cachets and a Tax cachet of "T 550/750". The Airmail Postcard rate was 27p from 5th September 1988 to 1st October 1989 so I think the postage due should be 550/750 x 27p x 2 which equals 39.6p, or 40p when rounded not 41p as in the TO PAY cachet.
The bottom postcard was sent in July 1994 and has a red "28 JUL 1994 49P TO PAY" cachet along with manuscript "T 450/550" Tax mark. The non-airmail UPU letter rate was 30p from 1st November 1993 to 7th July 1996 so the postage due works out at 450/550 x 30p x 2 which equals 49.1p, or 49p if rounded down. I admit I worked backwards from the 49P TO PAY to find the non-airmail UPU postage rate, and it seems a bit odd especially as there is an "A PRIORITAIRE / PAR AVION" cachet !
On this next sheet are two unfranked postcards received on the same date with two different postage due assessments - so one has to be wrong.
Both cards have manuscript Tax markings of "T 600/1000" but one has been assessed with 43p to pay and the other 42p. With an Airmail Postcard rate of 35p from 1st November 1993 to 7th July 1996, I think the correct assessment is 600/1000 x 35p x 2 which equals 42p. So I think the top one is wrong and the bottom one correct.
Some more Taunton starting with an unfranked letter from New South Wales in July 1914. The postage due was 20 gold centimes (as in the "N.S.W. / T / 20" cachet) which equated to 2d.
Another Taunton postage due, from 1918 on an OHMS envelope with a manuscript note that the Post Corporal had been refunded (presumably he had had to pay the 2d postage due.
The wrapper below was used to send something as Printed Matter in 1944 at a 1d rate. The Newspaper rate was more expensive but allowed for a heavier weight.
Taunton continued ... with a Taunton circular duplex cancel from 1869 on a life insurance application fo a Mr Rowle for £300. This is equivalent to about £30,000 today.
The OHMS envelope below related to Income Tax sent in 1896 has a 1d lilac with an IR OFFICIAL overprint.
... as does the first item below sent in 1899. One can see some of the variation in the Taunton squared circle cancel as it was recut a number of times.
... more Taunton squared circle cancellations, from 1906, 1907.
... and finally in 1907, currently the latest known usage of a Taunton squared circle cancel.
The next few posts will be another miscellany of Taunton related items, starting with an early letter from London to "Chipley nigh Taunton Present Somersett". It has a Bishop Mark for 11th April but no year but can be approximately dated from the "5/Off" London receiving house mark to c.1670-1674.
Next is a nice clear "TAUNTON / 161" boxed mileage mark from 1802, the start of the mark's recorded usage. It is solicitor's letter, as is usual with a lot of letters that have survived.
The letter below went free from Sir Thomas Buckler Lethbridge in 1823, who was the MP for Somerset county from 1806-1812 and 1820-1830. He requested that letters be written "to be left at the Post Office, Taunton" as the previous letter had to be paid for in spite of this directive (MP's letters were free in the General Post but not in the Penny Post so if they were delivered in the penny post he had to pay).
The wrapper below has "Missent*to*Taunton" in 1829, currently the earliest known example.
The letter below has a blue horizontal oval rather than the normal black, sent in December 1850.
The envelope below, sent in 1862 has internal advertising for John Hare's House and Estate Agency Office in North Street, Taunton.
Here are some fairly recently acquired items relating to Bristol, starting with a Mulready envelope sent in May 1841. It was adressed to Cholwell House, the residence of the Rees-Mogg family from 1726 to 1941. It was marked as "Gon away not know weare" and received a rare "W"in a circle Inspector's mark.
The next item is from December 1847 and was sent from Chew Magna to Wells, with a "CHEW-MAGNA" udc and a Bristol Penny Post dated handstamp - the year in the date has an inverted "4", which is known between October 1847 and March 1848.
Moving on to August 1874 the envelope below was sent from Bristol to Bordeaux and was franked with 3d. This was the rate for prepaid mail up to ⅓oz, but it would seem that the cover was more than ⅓oz so was liable to the next higher rate for up to ⅔oz and for not being fully prepaid.
The rate for un-prepaid letter was double, as was the rate for letters between ⅓ and ⅔oz. An un-prepaid letter in this weight rate was liable to 12d postage (6d if prepaid rather than 3d, and 12d because it was not prepaid), and was marked with "9" to pay (as 3d had already been paid). The addressee in Bordeaux would have been liable for 90 centimes.
The "INSUFFICIENTLY / PREPAID" cachet would have been applied in London; a framed "INSUFFICIENLY / PREPAID" cachet was issued to Bristol in February 1879, but there is no record of it being used.
This next sheet shows examples of the "BRISTOL / LATE.FEE" duplex cancel, known used between January 1889 and May 1894. Examples of this cancellation are rare, especially on cover.
A skeleton postmark is a circular datestamp made up from loose metal type. Skeletons are brought into use when an office's handstamp is damaged, mislaid or being updated, usually for a short period, then returned to the Post Office stores for reuse.
Here are a few skeletons, starting with a "BOURTON / WINCANTON SO" skeleton used in February 1909. Bourton is in Dorset but came under Wincanton. The skeleton is known in use from 9th February to 20th March 1909.
Skeletons were normally metal (with removable type) but there are also skeleton climax rubber cancels, as shown in the example below from Fivehead. This skeleton cancel is only known used on 1st and 2nd November 1907.
Here is another rubber skeleton cancel, from Lydeard St Lawrence - the cancel is mispelt as Laurence. The cancel is only known used on 11th December 1913.
More registered mail from my pile, starting with Enmore in 1918, addressed to Bermuda "via New York". The KGV registered envelope has a very distorted "ENMORE / BRIDGWATER" climax rubber cancel.
Back to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet with the next registered envelope from Evercreech in 1940.
Progressing alphabetically we get to Glastonbury in 1944 ...
... and then back to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet for Holcombe, Bath in 1940.
Finally here are a few registered items from Ilminster, starting with a registered envelope from 1966 addressed to the Chard Rural District Council.
For a fee the sender could get Advice Receipt, advice of delivery of a registered or recorded delivery as shown below from 1969 for an item addressed to Inwood Farm, Ashill, Ilminster and handled by the Ilminster post office.
The envelope below was sent registered air mail from Ilminster to Kenya in 1972.
Here are a number of Registered items, arranged alphabetically starting with Barrington under Ilminster in 1947.
Next, alphabetically in my pile of registered items, is Batcombe under Bath in 1939.
Berrow Corner came under Highbridge. The envelope below is dated 1958. Berrow Corner post office was replaced by Brent Corner in 1965.
Another registered item for The Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet, this time from Ditcheat in 1940.
Again, a registered letter to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet, this time an uprated registered envelope from Emborough under Bath in 1940, rather than a printed envelope.
