"Notice of Objection" from Langport in 1865

The item below originated from Langport but was cancelled in Taunton and was franked with a 3d stamp.  It is a "Notice of Objection" which is treated as a special sort of Registered item.

From the GBPS website:  The Parliamentary Voters Registration Act 1843 (6 & 7 Vict c.18) laid out detailed rules for the preparation and maintenance of lists of registered voters.  Clause 100 allowed for objections to a name on the list (on the grounds that they did not meet the qualifications to vote) to be sent by post.  Such a "Notice of Objection" was to be brought to any Money Order post office in duplicate, one copy to be sent registered to the person objected to, the other to be datestamped and returned to the sender as proof of posting.  The Act specified that the Notices were to be registered, at a concessionary registration fee of not more than 2d (in addition to postage). 

  

What is not so clear is why the Notice of Objection was processed in Taunton rather than in Langport.  Langport was a Money Order office from March 1847, however it did come under Taunton from 1855.

 

Yet more Registered envelopes - Radstock, Rowbarton, Stoke St Michael, Stratton on the Fosse, Winscombe

Yet more Registered envelopes, starting with one from Radstock to Wellington in August 1912 with a large unattributed registration etiquette with a violet "RADSTOCK" handstamp.

Next is a registered envelope from Rowbarton, Taunton to London in December 1939 with a "TAUNTON 1" registration etiquette.

Back to registered letters to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet, this one is from Stoke St Michael in July 1940 ....

.... and another from Stratton on the Fosse in January 1938.

Finally a registered envelope from Winscombe to Bridgwater in September 1918.

 

Some random Registered covers - Midsomer Norton, Musgrove, North Cadbury, Oakhill, Parbrook, Pilton

Here are some random Registered covers, starting with one from Midsomer Norton in July 1949 to the Ratings Officer at Shepton Mallet.

This OHMS cover from Musgrove, Taunton in April 1960 contained a strychnine permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Another registered envelope to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet, this time from North Cadbury in December 1937 ....

... and another from Oakhill in January 1939 ....

... and from Parbrook in December 1940 ....

... and one from Pilton in January 1940.

 

Registered Mail - from Enmore, Evercreech, Glastonbury, Holcombe, and Ilminster

More registered mail from my pile, starting with Enmore in 1918, addressed to Bermuda "via New York".  The KGV registered envelope has a very distorted "ENMORE / BRIDGWATER" climax rubber cancel.

Back to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet with the next registered envelope from Evercreech in 1940.

Progressing alphabetically we get to Glastonbury in 1944 ...

... and then back to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet for Holcombe, Bath in 1940.

Finally here are a few registered items from Ilminster, starting with a registered envelope from 1966 addressed to the Chard Rural District Council.

For a fee the sender could get Advice Receipt, advice of delivery of a registered or recorded delivery as shown below from 1969 for an item addressed to Inwood Farm, Ashill, Ilminster and handled by the Ilminster post office.

The envelope below was sent registered air mail from Ilminster to Kenya in 1972.

Registered Mail - from Barrington, Batcombe, Berrow Corner, Ditcheat and Emborough

Here are a number of Registered items, arranged alphabetically starting with Barrington under Ilminster in 1947. 

Next, alphabetically in my pile of registered items, is Batcombe under Bath in 1939.

Berrow Corner came under Highbridge.  The envelope below is dated 1958.  Berrow Corner post office was replaced by Brent Corner in 1965.

Another registered item for The Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet, this time from Ditcheat in 1940.

Again, a registered letter to the Rating Officer, Shepton Mallet, this time an uprated registered envelope from Emborough under Bath in 1940, rather than a printed envelope.

Taunton Registration sub-office etiquettes

Taunton sub-offices were given numeric registration etiquettes.  Here are a few of them, starting with one with a plain "TAUNTON" registration etiquette but with an oval "REGISTERED / 2 / TAUNTON, SOMERSET" cancel dated March 1950.

 

Station Road used "TAUNTON 5" registration etiquettes.

Musgrove had "TAUNTON 9" registration etiquettes.

 

The District Valuer also used a specific registration etiquette, "TAUNTON 12".  

... and the Hydrographic Office used "TAUNTON 31" etiquettes.

Registered oval cancels from Ilminster

Staying with Ilminster, here are a series of different oval Registered Ilminster cancels.  The first two are "REGISTERED / 2 / ILMINSTER.SOMT" used in 1952.

The next one is a "REGISTERED / 1 / ILMINSTER.SOMT" cancel from 1953 ...

 ... while this last one is "REGISTERED / 1 / ILMINSTER. SOM." from between 1952 and 1956.

Wells Registered Letter, 1849, 6d in cash

Registration was introduced in 1841 with a fee of 1s which had to be paid in cash.  On 28th March 1848 the registration fee was reduced to 6d, still required to be paid in cash.  From June 1850 Postmasters were instructed to affix stamps to letters to denote the paid Registration Fee.

Cheddar, Clevedon, Cocklake registered envelopes

Here are a trio of registered covers, this first one being from Cheddar in March 1921.

This next registered envelope from Clevedon in October 1978 has also paid for Special Delivery.

The final registered letter is from Cocklake in July 1945.

Registration Receipts, Parcel Post and Express Mail

Post Offices issued receipts to the senders of Registered Letters - here are two examples, from 1854 and 1857, the first on white paper, the second on blue.

Parcels could be registered from June 1891.  Here is a Parcel Post label from Bath in the KEVII period.

There were different levels of  'Express' service, the most common being where the mail was sent in the ordinary post to the nearest Express Delivery Office, and were then sent out by special messenger.  This example from August 1922 was to Huntly's Beach Hotel, Weston-super-Mare - the postcard at the bottom shows the location of the Hotel.

Bath Registered (3)

Finally in this series of posts of Registered letters from Bath, here is a Registered Printed Matter cover to Switzerland from November 1894.

A postal stationery envelope with a 2½d embossed stamp for postage plus 2d Registration Fee, to Argentine Republic dated January 1895.

This cover dated July 1896 was to Portugal, franked 2½d postage plus 2d Registration Fee.

And finally one to Leamington [Spa] dated December 1895, franked 1d postage plus 2d Registration Fee.

Bath Registered (2)

The next posts have Registered covers from Bath to foreign destinations, starting with a Registered Envelope to Sweden in April 1883, franked 2½d postage plus 2d Registration Fee.

This cover from May 1889 is to USA. franked 5d postage plus 2d Registration Fee.

And a cover from October 1891 to Germany, franked 2½d postage plus 2d Registration Fee.

Bath Registered (1)

A few posts of Registered covers from Bath, starting with an early one from February 1843.  Registration had been introduced in January 1841 (although 'Money Letters' received secure handling from c. 1792).  Up until 27th March 1848 the Registration Fee was 1/-, which had to be paid in cash.

This next example is from September 1856, by when the Registration Fee was 6d.  Up until 31st May 1850 it still had to be paid in cash, thereafter Postmasters were instructed to affix stamps.

This third example is from September 1878 and was undelivered -  manuscript "Gone no address" on the front - and manuscript "notice to quit" on the back !

The last example in this post is from November 1883, and is an OHMS envelope to Jersey with three "I.R. / OFFICIAL" 1d lilac stamps to pay the 2d Registration Fee and the 1d postage.