Stoke under Ham J19 3-bar vertical oval duplex cancels

Stoke-under-Ham had a "J19" duplex cancel, firstly with time in code as shown in the example below from September 1903, possibly the latest known example ....

 

.... and secondly with time in clear as shown below in May 1904 and December 1906.

 The "STOKE UNDER HAM / J19" duplex cancel was not registered in the Proof Books and is first known used in February 1888.

Stoke under Ham, and UDCs from Southgate St, Bath and from Upper Clevedon

The "STOKE UNDER HAM" handstamp below is used in March 1806 at the start of the period it is known (1806 to 1826).  I have one other example, used at the end of the usage period in 1826 but haven't yet seen any examples from the intervening period.

Moving on, here are a couple of  Undated Circular cancels (UDCs), starting with one for Southgate Street, Bath dated July 1855.

And secondly a UDC from Upper Clevedon dated April 1846.  This entire was not prepaid so was charged 2d.

 

Some Skeletons - Holford, Midford, Marston Magna, Stoke under Ham, Templecombe SO, West Harptree and Williton

A random accumulation of Skeletons, starting with a Climax rubber skeleton for Holford used on 29th May 1914.

The skeleton below from Midford used on 14th March 1906 was also a Climax rubber cancel.

The skeleton below from Marston Magna is only known used on 2nd October 1942.

... and the Stoke under Ham skeleton was also only known used on 16th February 1904.

This Templecombe S.O. skeleton was in use for about a month, from 2nd April to 3rd May 1912.

West Harptree's skeleton was in use for a month and a half from 19th July to 3rd September 1974.  As in the example below the "P" often does not print.

And finally a Williton skeleton that was in use for about a month, from 12th December 1909 to 10th January 1910.

Some Skeletons, ready for Halloween ?

 Here are a few skeletons - temporary postmarks used when the main cancel has got lost, broken or is being updated/replaced.   Early skeletons were called Travellers and here is a Traveller from South Petherton in June 1847.

 

 

Next comes a skeleton from Stoke under Ham in June 1906 (only known on 5th June).

 

 

 

Then comes one from Queen Camel in February 1909.

... followed by one from Wincanton - this example is from January 1913 but the skeleton is known from 29th November 1912 to 19th January 1913.

 

 

Finally a modern skeleton from Hinton Charterhouse in June 1977.

One more UDC - Stoke (under Ham or Sub-Hamdon)

Just found another UDC, from Stoke in November 1852.  The UDC was issued in April 1852 under Yeovil and this is currently the only recorded example.

Stoke-under-Ham straight line handstamp, 1826

Here is an example of the "STOKE UNDER HAM" straight line handstamp used in 1826.  The handstamp is known from 1806, this example being late usage.

Stoke-under-Ham is known in the Yeovil and Ilminster Penny Posts in the 1830s, and may also have been in a South Petherton Penny Post and in the Crewkerne Penny Post.  

The "under-Ham" or later "sub-Hamdon" refers to the nearby Ham Hill.

Stoke(-sub-Hamdon) in the Penny Posts of Ilminster and Yeovil

Stoke(-sub-Hamdon) had the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp in the Ilminster Penny Post and the Yeovil Penny Post.  It was also in the South Petherton Penny Post but with very small volumes.  In the Report of the Select Committee of 1838, Stoke had an annual revenue of £42 in the Yeovil PP, £3 in the Ilminster PP, and £1-5s-7d in the South Petherton PP.

Here are examples in the Ilminster PP (1832 & undated) and in the Yeovil PP (1832).  The first entire was written at Martock (2 miles north of Stoke) to Kingsbridge, while the other two examples were written at East Stoke and addressed to Chard.  The natural route from Stoke-sub-Hamdon to Chard would seem to be via Ilminster rather than via Yeovil.

Yeovil Penny Post: Boxed "No.2" in 1837, and blue cds (1849)

Stoke [-sub Hamdon] had the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp in the Yeovil Penny Post.  The example below is dated March 1837.

While we're on Yeovil, here is an example of the Yeovil cds (SO 1064) in blue from 1849.

Stoke St Gregory, Stoke-under-Ham -> Stoke-sub-Hamdon

Stoke St Gregory post office was under Taunton - the envelope below has a partial "STOKE ST. GREGORY / TAUNTON.SOM" 'Dulwich' double circle double-arc cancel from 1973.

Stoke-under-Ham was originally 'Stoke' though by 1855 it was referred to as Stoke-under-Ham.  In 1957 it was renamed 'Stoke-sub-Hamdon'.  These first covers have "STOKE-UNDER-HAM / J19" 3-bar vertical oval duplex cancels (3VOD) from 1904, 1906 and 1907.

The next covers are from after it was renamed Stoke-sub-Hamdon and have double circle double thin arc 'Birmingham' cancels from 1958, 1964 and sometime between 1968 and 1971.