Some Climax rubber cancels from post offices under Ilminster

A few more sheets of Climax rubber cancels, this time from some of the post offices under Ilminster.  The first sheet has examples of two of the three cancels issued to Ashill.

 Next come a couple of sheets of cancels from Barrington.  Barrington has four types of cancel, the first of which is recorded as a proof but not yet recorded in use.

Horton had seven Climax rubber cancels (again, the first was recorded as a proof but hasn't been recorded in use).  The sheet below has examples of the last recorded in use, from 1921.

Ilton has three cancels recorded (again the first was proofed but not yet recorded in use).  Below is an example of the second cancel used, from 1912 - there are two examples below but the second is not dateable - and examples of the third type.

Finally here is an example of the second cancel for Stocklinch, unfortunately not completely dateable as the final digit of the year is not completely readable (0 or maybe 6 perhaps).

A couple of parcel related items for Christmas

Here are a couple of parcel post items, beginning with a parcel post facsimile label for Westfield, Radstock (possibly a favour cancel) dated June 1975.

And then a real parcel item from Horton in September 1986, paying for a 1-2 kg parcel.

An assortment - Barrington registered cover, Horton registered cover, Mail to Chard missent to Denmark

An assortment - starting with a couple of philatelic registered covers posted by John Worral of Clover Farm, Shepton Mallet.  The first is from Barrington in September 1973, the second from Horton in November 1975.

The third item is an envelope from Exeter to Chard sent in August 2002 where "SOMERSET" has been misread as Denmark.  The envelope has an interesting marking of "LIVE MAIL" but no indication of where that might have been applied.

Some more Parcel Post Labels - Taunton, and Ilminster area

Following on from my previous post, I've been working through my rather battered copy of The Parcel Post of the British Isles by James Mackay to work out what the different types of Parcel Post Label (PPL) are.  The sheet below is my shorthand summary from the book (without clear punctuation).

Here is a sheet of PPLs for Taunton from 1896 to 1904.  I have one slight problem; the top right PPL dated 12th December 1900 appears to me to be a Type R (dot after LIST, no dot after Number, dot after Postge), but Mackay says that was issued in 1901.  It could be Type N (I can't see the difference between Type N and Type R) but Mackay says Type N is 'mainly London'.  Is there another reference I could consult ?

Here's another sheet, this time of Ilminster and Offices under Ilminster.

Horton Parcel Post Labels, 1902 & 1911

 Here are two Parcel Post Labels for Horton in 1902 and 1911.

In the first PPL from 1902, Horton is "Under Ilminster", while in the second PPL from 1911, Horton is "Horton, Ilminster" but is now "under Taunton".  

The reason for this change is probably that in 1907 Ilminster post office changed from a Head Office to a Salaried Sub-Office (a Crown Office that is not a Head Office).

The two PPLs have examples of two of the six different climax rubber cancels issued to Horton and used between 1891 and 1918.  In all of the cancels Horton is under Ilminster - I wonder if there was a different hierarchy of post offices for Parcels compared to Letters ?

Climax Rubber Handstamps - Ilminster sub-offices

Broadway had a "BROADWAY / ILMINSTER S.O. / SOMERSET" Type 2 handstamp issued in December 1907.  The nomenclature of "S.O." for an independant sub-office or railway sub-office was introduced in 1905 and was abolished in March 1909.  It then had a "BROADWAY /ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" Type 2 handstamp known used from October 1913.  The example below is of the first type dated December 1909, ie. nine months after the "S.O." terminology was discontinued.

Dowlish Wake had a "DOWLISH WAKE / ILMINSTER" Type Ib handstamp issued in December 1900 and a "DOWLISH WAKE / ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" Type 2 handstamp was known used from 1921 - the example of this handstamp below brings the earliest date known back to September 1915.

Horton had two "HORTON / ILMINSTER" Type Ib handstamps, the first issued in 1891 and the second known used from 1907. It then had a "HORTON / ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" Type 2 handstamp, known used from June 1913.  The example below is of this latter handstamp, dated June 1914.

Puckington had a "PUCKINGTON / ILMINSTER S.O. / SOMERSET" Type 2 handstamp issued in December 1908, then a "PUCKINGTON / ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" Type 3 skeleton handstamp known used in April 1914, and finally a "PUCKINGTON / ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" Type2 handstamp known used from June 1916.  The example below is of the first of the above handstamps from June 1912 (so three years after the "S.O." terminology was discontinued).