The wrapper below was from Maroim, Brazil to London and received a framed "SHIP LETTER / KINGSBRIDGE" handstamp in May 1846. Kingsbridge, or rather the local harbour at Salcombe, was not a major port, though schooners were based there as well as it being used by ships as required when there was a storm in the channel.
The address on the wrapper was originally just Messrs Huth, London and it received an "S H" handstamp as it was misdirected to Shoreditch.
The entire below went as a Ship Letter on a ship from Belfast to Liverpool. It was franked with a 1d red-brown and cancelled with a Liverpool "466" barred numeral cancel as well as the Liverpool Ship Letter handstamp in black.
The Ship Letter below was sent from New York to London in 1842, with a London "SHIP -LETTER" mark. It was then reposted from Frome to London about a week later.
"the day was beautifully fine, but at night a storm commenced, and again I was very sick, the vessel rolled terribly and I was obliged to lie in my berth or outside hold myself in the noise of the wind and the halloing of the sailors made it appear more terrific than it really was for I believe there was a very great danger but I determined I would not lie in my berth again as I did at Plymouth"
Another Dorset item, a Ship Letter from Madeira to London arriving via Lyme in Dorset in May 1817. The letter was written on 22nd March and took 44 days to London.
The Ship Letter below from Oporto to Fox Brothers, Wellington via Falmouth in June 1835, caused some discussion about the postal rate.
My first thoughts were that as it went via Falmouth it would have gone by a packet ship. The rates for a packet from Lisbon would have been 1/7d or perhaps 2/6d to London, but there weren't any London marks (or additional charges to send it back to Wellington).
It was then pointed out that a standard 8d Ship Letter fee plus 10d in the General Post (for 120-170 miles from Falmouth to Wellington, Somerset) gives 1/6d. Bringing in the Packet rates was over complicating things !
The contents relate to eventually selling "Estaminas" - I think this was a form of worsted, or possibly twill.
The Poole Ship Letter below was sent from Boston, USA to Edinburgh on 7th March 1808 and arrived on 28th April 1808, taking seven and a half weeks.
The Lymington India letter below from Calcutta to London arrived in London in July 1822. The "INDIA LETTER / LYMINGTON" handstamp indicated that it was from "India" and was subject to a different (lower) ship letter charge.
Some Dorset material starting with a Weymouth Ship Letter sent from Antigua to Wells on 28th April 1794. The letter was a copy of one sent on 14th April, a common practice in case letters were lost. Because the addressee, Clement Tudway, was an MP, the letter was only charged the 1d Ship Letter fee.
Here is an 1808 Ship Letter from Poole, Dorset to Edinburgh, with an oval "Ship Letter / crown / POOL" handstamp, in use 1804-1814.
The cover was charged "1N6" or 1/6d, which would be 1/2d for 500-600 miles in the General Post from Poole to Edinburgh via London, plus 4d Ship Letter sealed bag fee, making 1/6d in total.
Here are a few Bristol Ship Letters (as a change from Ilminster !), starting with one from 1787. The letter does not have any postal charge markings which may be because it was a consignee letter which would have been exempt from the ship letter charge. It has a "SHIP-LRE / BRISTOL, 123" handstamp - a number of examples of this have a malformed or unclear final digit but this example is fairly clearly a "3".
Another ship letter with a a "SHIP-LRE / BRISTOL, 123" handstamp, from December 1787. I cannot work out how the overall postal charge of 1/1d was calculated.
The example below from 1809 has a "Ship Letter / crown / BRISTOL" handstamp with contents relating to the sale of a house in Jamaica.
The Ship Letter mark below from 1815 is a rarity - the "POST PAID WITHDRAWN SHIP LETTER" handstamp indicates prepayment was made at Bristol and then the letter was sent on a non-packet boat.
After the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post in January 1840, Ship Letters were charged a uniform rate of 8d including postage to their UK destination. The letter below has a clear Agent's cachet for Collomb & Iselin in New York.
Here is an example of a letter from August 1841 that was marked to go via the Great Western from Bristol but actually went from Liverpool, bearing a red "SHIP LETTER / LIVERPOOL" datestamp.
There is a bit of a mystery to the postcard below which has a Southampton Ship Letter single ring cancel dated 1st November 1907. The postcard bears a Washford squared circle cancel and a "ROADWATER / TAUNTON" postmark both dated 2nd November. However the postcard appears to be addressed to Pitney, Langport. Why did it go to Roadwater ?
Bagborough was issued a UDC in June 1852 under Taunton. The following two covers display the earliest and latest examples currently recorded.
The second example is also a Ship Letter, with a partial "SHIP LETTER / FREE / GEELONG .VICTORIA" handstamp, with contents relating to the sale of sheep, farming equipment and land.
Below is a late use of the Bristol Ship Letter handstamp, used in September 1913. From then, Ship Letter handstamps are only known used from Avonmouth as the larger ships of the time could no longer make it up the Avon to Bristol harbour.
