Miscellany again, part 1 - Watchet, Temple Cloud, Littleton-upon-Severn (G), Eastover

I'm using up the remaining few covers that I have to show at the moment (hopefully I'll find some more material at MIDPEX on 5th July), these are roughly in date order, starting with an entire from Watchet to Stogumber in September 1868.  The entire refers to sending paperwork by Book Post which started in 1848 at the suggestion of Rowland Hill.  It became 'halfpenny packets' in January 1904 and 'Printed Papers' (or 'Printed Matter') from January 1916

The entire below was sent from London to Messrs Rees-Mogg & Davy in Temple Cloud in May 1884.  The stamp bears a "GR&C" perfin from Gregory, Rowcliffe & Co., Solicitors at 1 Bedford Row, London WC.

The piece below is a quick dive off into my Bristol interests with an example of the "LITTLETON- / UPON-SEVERN / BRISTOL" Climax rubber cancel from April 1897.  Bristol has some useful map websites from which one can sometimes find where Post Offices used to be. 

Finally, here is a bit of ephemera associated with Eastover Post Office, Bridgwater dated November 1900.

 

Bristol Penny Post - Paulton (or Pensford), Templecloud

Pensford became receiving house No.14 from 1827 (replacing Templecloud which became No.15).  It appears that there were two handstamps in use, a smaller one at Pensford and a larger one at Paulton.

This entire is undated (apart from an unhelpful "Wednesday 10th") and was written from Sutton Court, near Bishop's Stowey which is six miles from Paulton and three miles from Pensford.  Based on the handstamp it appears that this entire was posted in Paulton.

This entire was written in Clutton, one mile north of Templecloud, in June 1839.  Templecloud had the boxed "No.15" handstamp from 1830 (having previously had the boxed "No.14" handstamp).

Barred Numeral Cancels - Pensford, Temple Cloud, West Town

Pensford, 12 miles west of Bath and 7 miles south of Bristol, was given post office number 001 in 1878.

Temple Cloud, 11 miles south of Bristol, was in the Bristol Penny Post from 1818 and was issued post office number 006 in 1878.

West Town, 9 miles WSW of Bristol, was in the Bristol Penny Post from 1824.  It became an RSO in 1861 and was allocated post office number B45.  It had both 3HOS and 3VOS cancels; the first sheet shows a 3HOS on cover while the second sheet shows both types of cancel on stamp.

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.

And finally the early serif UDCs of Temple-Cloud, Dunster and Beckington

Temple-Cloud's UDC was proofed in the Steel Impression Book on 30th March 1840 and is known used from July 1840 to 1851.  The minor offices with UDCs were supposed to handstamp the entires on the back, and definitely not to cancel the postage stamp (that was the role of the Post Town cancel).  Temple-Cloud made a habit of breaking this rule and cancelling the postage stamp.  The examples below from December 1847 and January 1848 both have also got inverted year date slugs in the Bristol Penny Post handstamp.

Dunster is the penultimate example of the early, serif, UDC that I have.  The UDC was registered in the Steel Impression Book on 13th January 1844 and is known used from January 1844 to March 1856 in black, and from August 1852 to September 1853 in blue.  The top entire below has an example from February 1845, while the second sheet shows an example from January 1846.

 

For a brief period in 1846 the Dunster UDC is known with manuscript dates written in the centre of the handstamp.  The two examples below are from May and June 1846.

Beckington's normal format serif UDC was not registered in the Steel Impression Book, but is known in black from June 1845 to the example below from December 1849.  It is also known in blue between June 1852 and January 1856.