Turnpikes, Haulage, Canals

After the introduction of Turnpike (toll) roads in the 18th century (1700-1730 the London radial roads were turnpiked, 1750s and 1770s further surges in turnpikes), these needed to be managed and people travelling by horse or carriage needed to pay Turnpike fees on all the different Turnpikes they used.  Here are some ephemera associated with aspects of that.

Firstly an invitation to a meeting of Trustees of the Winchester Turnpike (Lower Division) in March 1821.  As can be seen from the map there are a large number of separate turnpike trusts in the area.

One used a haulier if one wanted to transport goods, and they would have been responsible for paying any turnpike fees.  Here is a receipt dated December 1831 on the back of an advertisement.

Turnpikes carried on into the late 19th century.  Below is a turnpike receipt from the 1870s from around Totnes.

However the writing had been on the wall for the Turnpikes as soon as Railways started their rapid spread across the country in the 1830s.  The auction poster below is dated May 1835 and is auctioning off mortgages on a Turnpike, and also shares in a canal, similarly due to be adversely affected by the Railways.

 

No Service, Return to Sender, 1941 addressed to Finland

The envelope below was posted from Bristol to Finland in April 1941 but received a purple "NO SERVICE / RETURN TO SENDER" cachet.  As there were no other cancels I assume that the cachet was applied in the Bristol Foreign Section (rather than in London)

The addressee was Lady Constance Malleson who subsequently wrote a book about her experiences administering relief efforts for the Russo-Finnish war.
 

'in all' mail in 1683

Prior to 1797 there were only six Post Roads from London.  If mail was going from a place on one post road to somewhere on another post road then it went via London and was charged twice - once to London and once from London.  This is nicknamed 'in all' after what was written on the mail for the final charge.  In 1797 the rules were changed and mail was charged on the total distance travelled.

The entire below from 1683 was posted in Torrington, 7 miles from Bideford on the north coast of Devon, to Exeter, on the south coast of Devon.  This is a distance of about 35 miles if the mail could have gone direct, but prior to 1797 the letter went up to Bristol and then to London (on the 'Bristol Road') being charged 3d, and then came down to Exeter on the 'Falmouth Road' for an another 3d.  The total charge was 'in all 6'. 

So the letter travelled just under 400 miles (rather than 35 miles) and was charged 6d rather than 2d.
 

Whitchurch Festival - Coronation of King Edward VII and Alexandra in 1902

The coronation of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 9^th August 1902.  Originally scheduled for 26^th June of that year, the ceremony had been postponed at very short notice, because the King had been taken ill with an abdominal abscess that required immediate surgery.

By the time of his accession, the 59-year-old Edward was overweight and fond of large meals and cigars. He launched himself into his new role, but his first busy months on the throne were bedevilled by a succession of illnesses and injuries.  On 23^rd June 1902, three days before the date set for the coronation, Edward and his wife, Alexandra, returned from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace in preparation.  It was noted that he appeared "worn and pale" and was leaning heavily on his cane. That evening, the King and Queen hosted a formal dinner for seventy British and overseas royal guests.

The following day at noon, a telegram marked "OFFICIAL" was dispatched around the Empire, with the news that the coronation was postponed and that the King was undergoing an operation.  Shortly afterward, a bulletin was released from Edward's medical team, stating that "The King is suffering from perityphlitis.  The condition on Saturday was so satisfactory that it was hoped that with care His Majesty would be able to go through the Coronation ceremonies.  On Monday evening a recrudescence became manifest, rendering a surgical operation necessary today".  It was undersigned by, among others, Lord Lister and Sir Frederick Treves, who actually carried out the operation on a table in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, to drain his abdominal cyst.

On 26^th June itself, a "solemn service of intercession" was held at St Paul's Cathedral, which was attended by many of the British and foreign dignitaries who were in London for the coronation. Although workmen immediately received instructions to begin dismantling the wooden stands that had been erected along the route of the procession, Edward was insistent that regional celebrations and a planned "Coronation Dinner for the Poor of London" should go ahead.  Organised by Sir Thomas Lipton, 500,000 dinners were served to Londoners on 5^th July at 800 locations around the capital. The King personally contributed £30,000 toward the cost and there were donations by commercial companies and wealthy individuals.  The confectionery maker Rowntree's provided each diner with a tin of chocolate and a rather better one for the 60,000 people who had acted as stewards on the grounds that they would "be of greater influence socially than the poor".

 

One of the places that organised a Coronation Festival was Whitchurch (there are a number of Whitchurch's in the UK - I believe that the item below is from Whitchurch, Bristol because the programme below was printed by a Bristol printer, Bennett Bros Ltd.).  

The Programme of Sports on the reverse of the card are quite interesting, especially perhaps item 13 - "Washing Competition (Ladies), competitors to find own pail".