Serendipity is good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries. Acquiring this cover was definitely serendipitous: I was after an example of the Wellington (Somerset not Shropshire) 3HOS cancel, which the cover below has, when, having received it in the post, I spotted that it had an "ANGERSLEIGH" late format undated circular handstamp (UDC) on the reverse.
This UDC was issued under Wellington on 15th April 1858, and below is the first recorded usage from 4th May 1858.
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.
Winford is seven miles south-east of Bristol. Here is an example of its double-arc UDC from June 1851.
Winford is not to be confused with Winsford, four miles south of Dulverton and some 55 miles to the south-west. Winsford had a double-arc udc known from June 1854.
.... and later a single ring udc, here used in November 1857.
Here is another example used in blue in April 1858.
Yet more UDCs, starting with Oakhill (under Bath) from November 1845.
... "RADSTOCK" from April 1846.
This example of the "SHEPTON-BEAUCHAMP" udc is currently the only example recorded.
The "SION-HILL" udc from August 1845 is currently the earliest example known.
Stourton is in Wiltshire but was issued a UDC under Bath in October 1853.
The envelope below, with a "WEDMORE" udc, was sent to the USA and has markings that indicate that it went on a British ship.
... a "WINSFORD" udc from November 1857.
... and an earlier example from July 1854, currently the earliest known usage.
And finally (alphabetically) here is a seriffed "YATTON" udc from October 1848 on a Registered Letter. The registration fee had to be paid in cash while postage had to be paid in stamps.
More UDCs, mostly issued to villages, starting with "HUISH-CHAMPFLOWER" used in October 1859, currently the latest known usage in black.
The "ISLE-ABBOTS" udc below is currently the only recorded example, while the example of the "WRANTAGE" udc is currently the earliest usage recorded.
The "LYMPSHAM" udc below is in blue, the first recorded example in blue.
The example of the "MARSTON MAGNA" udc below is undated, one other example is known used in December 1858.
The "MARTOCK" udc below in blue is also known in black.
Here are a number of examples of UDCs (UnDated Circular handstamps) which were typically issued to village post offices, starting with one from "ALLER" in April 1859, currently the only recorded example.
The "BEDMINSTER" udc below is from January 1850. A second udc was issued to Bedminster in 1857.
The "BLACKFORD" udc was issued in 1858 - the example below is currently the earliest known usage.
The entire below has a faint "BURNHAM-SOMST" udc, used in March 1848.
West Town in Somerset is adjacent to Backwell, about eight miles south-west of Bristol. These two covers bear "WEST-TOWN" double arc undated cancels. The first entire is from June 1846 and is in black ...
... while the second, much less clearly struck, is from August 1857 in blue. This is almost the last known usage of the handstamp.
Here is an example of the Stogumber UDC from November 1848 on the receipt for a Registered Letter. It is not clear exactly what colour the UDC is, red or yellow, given the fading of ink over time.
The Autumn meeting of the Somerset & Dorset Postal History Group is coming up on Sunday 15th October, at Hornsbury Mill near Chard, with a varied programme including 'Satirical Postcards of WW I', 'WW I censorship', 'Unusual Postal Stationery Part 2' and 'Railway Company Perfins'. See the website for details.
Staying in the area, South Chard was issued a UDC in 1852; the example below is currently the only recorded copy from July 1857.
Below is a postmark from South Chard on 19th September 1967, when the British Discovery and Invention set was issued. The Radar stamp is the low value in the set of four.
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.
This is the last in a series of posts about UDCs (undated ccircular handstamps) for a while, finishing up with a couple of examples from Worle. Worle's UDC was issued in December 1847 under Wells and is known from 15th November 1848 (this cover) ...
... to 8th December 1851 (this cover). This cover has an added complexity in postal markings, being a letter to the USA.
A few more UDCs, starting with one from Porlock in September 1851. The Porlock UDC was issued in September 1845 under Taunton, and the example below is currently the only recorded example.
The UDC below from Stogumber in December 1846 is rather faint - it has been labelled as yellow but I think it may have been red. Determining colours is always tricky and rather depends on the lighting and on how the postmark has aged.
The West Quantoxhead UDC below is definitely in red and is dated April 1856. The UDC was issued on September 1851 under Bridgwater. One example in black is known in October 1851 and one example in red (this cover).
And finally an UDC from Wrantage used in January 1859, currently the latest recorded example. The UDC was issued in June 1852 under Taunton.
A "NORTON" undated double-arc handstamp was issued to both Norton Fitzwarren under Taunton in September 1845 and to Norton-sub-Hamdon under Ilminster in May 1852. If the strikes are clear one can distinguish between the two UDCs but otherwise one has to identify them based on which Post Town the cover comes under.
This first example is from Norton Fitzwarren, used in January 1852 in blue (currently the only recorded example of this udc in blue; it is also known in black). The cover is postmarked in Taunton and is dated before the second UDC under Ilminster was issued.
This second example is currently the latest recorded date of usage of this Norton udc. The cover also has a poor "GALHAMPTON" udc being used as a receiving mark. The envelope is addressed to South Barrow and Galhampton was the closest post office, being about 4 miles from South Barrow.
Some more UDCs starting with a couple of examples of the "LUXBOROUGH" udc which was issued in June 1858 under Taunton. Both examples are from 1858.
The "MARTOCK" udc was issued in September 1847 under South Petherton. It is known in blue from September 1849 to February 1851 in blue, with the example below currently being the only recorded example in black.
The cover below has a faint "MERRIOTT" udc in blue (indicated on the sheet below). The udc was issued in January 1852 under Ilminster and is currently the only example recorded. UDCs are both common and rare - whilst the handstamp shown below is the only recorded, it is likely that it would have been used at other times so it is not inherently rare - just difficult to find !
Here are two examples of the "KINGSDON" udc which was issued in June 1848 under Somerton.
The first example takes a bit of deciphering - I think what happened was that the wrapper was sent from London to Yeovil on 11th August 1858; then the wrapper was reused with a second stamp being added and was sent from Kingsdon to Yeovil on 20th August 1858. Both stamps have been cancelled with Taunton circular duplex on 20th August; the right hand stamp has some evidence of a London barred numeral cancel underneath.
The second example is a simpler example on an envelope posted from Kingsdon to London on 31st January 1859.
Here is a further, quite poor, example of the "HOLNICOTE" UDC dated 16th May 1853 (see here for an example posted earlier). The UDC was issued in September 1845 under Taunton. Below is currently the earliest recorded example.
The envelope below has an example of the "HUISH-CHAMPFLOWER" UDC used on 26th September 1857. It was issued in April 1852 under Wellington.
