A few Hs - Hatch Beauchamp, Henstridge, Holford, Huish-Champflower

As you may have gather from the previous posts, I'm catching up with some recent acquisitions in alphabetical order ... and I've got to Hatch Beauchamp.  The Letter Card below has "HATCH BEAUCHAMP / TAUNTON.SOMERSET" double circle double-blob cancels (not sure what the approved terminology is for these cancels) and is posted on the first day of issue of the 1½d KGVI stamp.

This next item from Henstridge also looks philatelic, being an Air Letter posted within Henstridge in September 1957.

I don't understand the postal markings on this next item from Holford to London - it has a "HOLFORD / BRIDGWATER . SOMERSET" double circle double line arc cancel dated September 1958 (aka a 'Birmingham' cancel after the first place to be issued with them) and it has a "MINEHEAD / SOMERSET" unified machine cancel dated June 1959.  I don't understand the two postmarks with just the one stamp.

And finally a Valentine envelope posted from Huish-Champflower to Corfe with a faint partial "HUISH-CHAMPFLOWER" udc as well as transit marks from Wiveliscombe, Wellington and Taunton, all dated February 1857.

Black Henstridge UDC, used on 1st January 1851

 A "HENSTRIDGE" undated circular handstamp (UDC) has previously only been recorded in use on 6th May 1846.  Here is a second example, used on 1st January 1851.

WW II: Yeovil (air raid) and RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper)

Here are two items with WW II links, starting with a postal stationery card from Yeovil in August 1940.  The card has two 1d printed stamps as the rate increased to 2d on 1st May 1940 and there weren't any 2d dies available.  The message on the postcard talks about an air raid on Yeovil.

The second item is a large birthday greetings card to a Wren at RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper) which trained pilots to land on aircraft carriers.

Offices under Bath - Henstridge

The map of Offices under Bath that I showed in my last post did not include Henstridge.  It should have done based on the marks on these couple of sheets (1903 - 1906).  The second sheet has an image of a nice period view of Henstridge from the postcard..

Shaftesbury (Dorset) Penny Post in Somerset

Fifth Clause Posts from Shaftesbury (in Dorset) to Bruton, Castle Cary and Wincanton have already been covered in this blog.  This post is about the Penny Post from Shaftesbury that extended into Somerset, specifically to Henstridge and Milborne Port.

This first sheet describes the assignment of Receiving Houses handstamps.

In 1823 Henstridge was assigned a boxed "No.8" handstamp (I don't have an example of the pre-1923 "No.2" assigned to Henstridge).

Milborne Port was initially allocated the boxed "No.12" handstamp and then, from about 1835, the unboxed "No.10".

Here are a couple of examples of other Receiving House handstamps in the Shaftesbury Penny Post from Receiving Houses in Dorset.