Bristol - 1960s

 Some items from Bristol in the 1960s starting with an OHMS envelope in April 1966 with a violet "HEAD POSTMASTERS OFFICE / BRISTOL" cachet.

The envelope below from Glasgow to Bristol was damaged in February 1967 and received a label saying that "The Postmaster is very sorry that tthis packet has been accidentally damaged in the post." and bearing a "BRISTOL" single ring handstamp.

The postal stationery envelope below has been uprated from 4d to 5d when the postal rate went up in 16th September 1968.   This rate remained in force until Decimalisation on 15th February 1971.

Another First Day of Use, this time for Machins on 27th August 1969, with the envelope below being cancelled with "BRISTOL / 24" double circle double line-arc cancels.

Bristol - 1940s

The cover below was from Newton Abbot in Devon to Poona, India in September 1940 and was sent airmail, but was apparently diverted to a Convoy leaving from Bristol with the Air Mail etiquette crossed out and a straight line "BRISTOL" cancel applied.

The envelope below, sent in October 1945, from Bristol to APO 595, was deemed undeliverable and returned to Bristol having gone via Boston, Massachusetts in the USA.

This is another triangle "134" cancel, this time going to the USA.  It is likely to have been sent sometime between May 1949 to October 1950 though could have been as late as October 1957.

And for a little diversion, here are a couple of security overprints on receipts from J.S. Fry & Sons Ltd, the bottom one dated to May 1940 (the date on the top receipt is unclear).

More Bristol

Some more Bristol related items, starting with a cover from Avonmouth (under Bristol) to the USA in 1930.  The envelope is one for the US Hydrographic Office, which would have been free in the USA but not in the UK.

This next registered envelope is from Bridport to Cornwall, going via Bristol and receiving a "BRISTOL / 134 / 15" three bar vertical oval duplex cancel with "15" in the basal bars when it was sent in June 1899.

The cover below is another that went through Bristol in transit, this time from the Cayman Islands to Coventry, receiving a single ring "BRISTOL / 2" handstamp on the reverse in February 1910.

The envelope below is a First Day Cover for the King George V Silver Jubilee issue on 7th May 1935 and received a "Found at Bristol / Without contents" cachet - as an FDC it was unlikely to have had any contents.

Both envelopes below received an undated  triangular "134" machine cancel, probably because they were printed matter - the top one also received a dated cancel in February 1937, perhaps because it was going abroad to British Columbia.

The unfranked envelope below was charged 22p postage due in 1983.  The postage rate was 12½p for up to 60g but the Postage Due charges had changed to a fixed charge of 10p plus the deficiency rounded down.

A bit of Bristol ... Clifton, College Green, Filton, Fishponds

In the spirit of the previous posts, here is an envelope from Clifton to Bombay in 1859, taking about a month to get there.  Postage was 6d (the rate for anywhere except France & Belgium from 1858).

The Postal Stationery envelope below from Clifton to Kent in 1892 had 1d to pay as it was over 1oz, with the charge being indicated by a large "1d" in a circle, used at Clifton from 1883 to 1909.

Here is an envelope from College Green, Bristol to Bath in 1854, with a "COLLEGE-GREEN" double arc udc on the reverse.  This is currently the latest known example of the udc.

The udc on the wrapper below from Filton in 1847 is "FELTON".  The udc was issued in 1842, Felton being an old/alternative spelling for Filton.

Here is another unfranked postcard, written in Guernsey in 1923 and getting a 2d charge mark in Weymouth on its way to Bristol.

More .... Donyatt, Draycott, Dulverton, Dunster

The postcard below was sent locally from Donyatt to Ilminster in 1922.

The Parcel Post Label below is from Draycott, Cheddar under Weston-super-Mare in 1925.  The 1s paid would be for a 5-8lb parcel.

Another parcel item associated with Draycott in 1935 was sent C.O.D. (Cash On Delivery).  The parcel would have gone at the normal parcel rate (6d for up to 2lb) and there would have benn an additional 8d fee to pay for the C.O.D. collection, which would have been included in the money charged.

Another underfranked postcard, this one sent from Clevedon to Dulverton in 1929.

A couple of Dunster items starting with one from 1869 with a single ring handstamp on the reverse with a straight line "DUNSTER" ...

... and one from 1881 with a single ring with a curved "DUNSTER" on the reverse.

The postcard below has a "DUNSTER / TAUNTON" postmark in 1936, while it was under Taunton.

The unfranked smutty postcard below has a "TAUNTON / SOMERSET" handstamp and a Dunster postage due cachet, sent in July 1935.

Continuing ... Bruton, Buckland St Mary, Burnham-on-Sea, Clevedon - and Combe Sydenham

The entire below dated December 1774 has a very clear "BRUTON" handstamp, at the start of its known usage.

The "BRUTON / 142" boxed mileage mark on this entire dated 1808 is much less clear, being towards the end of its known usage from 1802 to 1809.

A Certificate of Posting from Buckland St Mary in 1992 is probably one of the few ways to get a local postmark.

The novelty card below, from Burnham-on-Sea in 1925 was charged postage due as it was treated as a Letter because there was more than the sender's name and address on it.

The envelope below went as Printed Matter and received a "170" triangle machine cancel.  The slogan cancel was in use from 26th October to 1st November 1961 and 1st to 28th November 1962, and there is a pencil annotation on the reverse of "11/62" which matches the second period of usage.

And finally a picture illustrating Combe Sydenham, Somersetshire in 1765.  Combe Sydenham did not have a post office.

Continuing with .... Bath, Bedminster, Bitton, Brean Camp, Bridgwater & Brompton Ralph ....

Carrying on the letter below was from Cheltenham to Bath in 1836 with a boxed "No.6" receiving house in the Cheltenham Penny Post.  This was thought to be Tewkesbury Road.

The registered letter below is from Bedminster to London in 1922.  The "R / BRISTOL 47" registered etiquette has been known used with HPO Parcels.

The envelope below was from Bitton to Basingstoke in 1860 and bears a very faint "BITTON" double arc undated cancel on the reverse, at the end of its recorded usage.

The uprated airmail below was sent registered to the USA in 1957, most probably a philatelic usage.

A definitely philatelic usage is this FDC for the CEPT stamps on 18th September 1961 sent within Bridgwater.

The postal stationery envelope below was sent from Brompton Ralph in August 1854, with a blue "BROMPTON-RALPH" udc on the reverse.  The udc is known from December 1853 to August 1854 in blue.

Miscellaneous Covers starting with Avonmouth, Axbridge, Banwell, Barrington ....

The next load of posts will be a miscellaneous set of covers starting with an Advice of Delivery of an Inland Registered Letter from 1965.

This next cover also comes from Avonmouth, sent registered in 1937.

Two postcards from Axbridge to South Africa in 1905 go two different Bristol 'Dulwich' transit marks, a "BRISTOL / 28" in April and a "Bristol / 16" in May, and ....

.... unused postcards showing Axbridge.

The envelope below was written and posted in Banwell in 1851 (I wonder if the positioning of the postage stamp was a message to the recipient?).

Finally a postcard from 1953 with a KGVI stamp with a clear "BARRINGTON / ILMINSTER.SOMERSET" cancel.