Entire from Oakhill to Lincolnshire, 1821

The entire below went from Old Down to Bath in the Penny Post, and then to London and Louth in Lincolnshire.  It was written in Oakhill, three miles south of Old Down.

Old Down boxed "No.15" used in November 1822

The entire below, dated 9th November 1822, has a crisp boxed "No.15" receiving house handstamp.  This handstamp was used at Old Down and this entire brings the known dates of use earlier, into 1822.  The crispness of the handstamp indicates that it was near the beginning of its life.

Cross Penny Post, Dunster in 5th Clause Post, Old-Down in Bath Penny Post

Weston-super-Mare had the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp in the Cross Penny Post.  Here is an example from September 1831.

Dunster had the boxed "No.4" receiving house handstamp in the Taunton Fifth Clause Post up to 1828 (Mr Luttrell of Dunster Castle objecting to any conversion to Penny Post because he would then have to pay for his newspapers' delivery in the post).  This example is from April 1825.

Here is an example of the Dunster undated circular handstamp from August 1846 with the date written in manuscript inside the handstamp.

This pre-printed insturance letter was initially sent to "Wells, Somerset or Stratton near Chilcompton, Bath" and then returned from Old Down to London in July 1830.

Old Down

A trio of entires that feature Old Down, starting with 1819 in the Bath Penny Post with a black boxed "No.12" handstamp, written from Hallatrow.

Then from 1820 in the Wells Penny Post with a red boxed "No.12" handstamp, again written at Hallatrow.

And finally from 1840 an Old Down double-arc handstamp dated May 1840.

Templecloud and Old Down

Templecloud and Old Down were originally in the Bristol Penny Post, and then also in the Bath and the Wells Penny Posts.  Originally Templecloud had the boxed "No.14" receiving house handstamp while Old Down had the boxed "No.15" handstamp. Then Templecloud was given the boxed "No.15" and Old Down the boxed "No.16".  Old Down also had an oval framed "OLD-DOWN" handstamp that is known used between 1802 and 1840.

The two entires below both have boxed "No.15" handstamps (Templecloud) and oval "OLD-DOWN" handstamps.  The first, from August 1829, goes from Templcloud south to Old Down where it was put on the Bath to Exeter coach down to Exeter.

The second, from 1836, goes south from Templecloud to Old Down and then on the Exeter to Bath coach, from where it goes to London.

Wells

A few more items that I've acquired in the last months, this time from the City of Wells.  Firstly an entire from Wells to London with a "WELLS / 129" with boxed mileage (as opposed to with lines above and below the mileage).

Then a couple of items with Penny Post Receiving House handstamps, both from 1824.  The No.5 Receiving House in the Wells Penny Post was Axbridge, which also used a straight line handstamp.  This entire has both the straight line "AXBRIDGE", a boxed "No.5" and also a "WELLS SOMT / Penny Post" handstamp for good measure.

The second Penny Post item also has the "WELLS SOMT / Penny Post" handstamp along with a boxed "No.15" Receiving House mark.  This entire, from Writhlington, would have travelled via Old Down and that is where the boxed "No.15" handstamp came from - Old Down used the boxed "No.15" handstamp between 1823 and 1826.