Nether Stowey (1905), Stoke St Gregory (1909), Wincanton (1913) and Wootton Courtenay (1913)

I'm working through some recent acquisitions, so in date order here's a cover from Nether Stowey to Bishop's Hull in September 1905, redirected to Cardiff.

This postcard from Stoke St Gregory to North Curry in December 1909 is answering a query about local thatchers.

Here is a registered envelope from Wincanton to New Jersey in August 1913, going via Bath railway station to Southampton before being received in New York.

Finally here is a 1913 Christmas postcard going from Wootton Courtenay to Lydeard St Lawrence.  Postmarked on Christmas Eve, it might have been delivered the same day.

Wellington and Wincanton - two early covers

A couple of early handstamps, first from Wellington in January 1783.  The "WELLING / TON" handstamp is known used from 1780 to 1783.

Secondly a "WIN / CANTON" handstamp from 1790.  The handstamp is known used from 1785 to 1791.  One of the problems with early letters (that don't go to London) is working out what route the post would have taken, to match with the postal charge.

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.

Wincanton various !

Here are a series of mainly single ring handstamps from Wincanton starting in 1885 when a single ring cancel was in use.

The next sheet shows another 19th century Wincanton single ring handstamp (1895) followed by a series of postmarks on piece from 1963 to a self-inking datestamp in 1997.

Finally here is a further Wincanton self-inking datestamp from 2002, along with a form with the preprinted address of the Post Office in Wincanton.

Wincanton, September 1904, with an incorrect postmark

Wincanton went between being a post town, a sub-office and being under Bath.  The postmarks did not always catch-up with the latest status.

From 1875 it was under Bath, then it became an independant Sub Office in August 1904, then came back under Bath in November 1904, becoming a Sub Office / Post Town again in November 1906. 

The postcard below is dated September 1904 (when it should be an independant Sub Office) but is cancelled with a "WINCANTON / BATH" cancel.

Bourton to Clifton in 1852 with ornate "No.2" handstamp

Bourton, 4 miles ENE of Wincanton had been in the Wincanton Penny Post from 1838 using an ornate "No.2" receiving house handstamp.  This handstamp had previously been known used from 1838 to 1849;  the cover below extends that usage to 1852.

Coincidentally Hotwells near Clifton also used an ornate "No.2" handstamp in the Bristol Penny Post between 1837 and 1839.

"WIN / CANTON" handstamp, October 1789

The entire below, dated 1st October 1789, has a "WIN / CANTON" two line handstamp, SO 978, known in use from 1785 to 1791.

Castle Cary Handstamp, 1835

The framed "Castle Cary / P.y Post" handstamp is known used from 1824 to 1827.  Below is an example of its later usage with the "P.y Post" removed in 1835.  No usage is known in the intervening years.

Wincanton late use of SO 993 cancel in 1845

The entire below is from Wincanton to an Insurance Office in Exeter.  It has an SO 993 cancel dated 31st March 1845, a later than previously recorded.

Some certificates were enclosed, hence the prepaid 2d in red.
[This item courtesy of a fellow member of the Somerset & Dorset Postal History Group.]

Norton Fitzwarren, Wincanton Skeletons

Here are a pair of skeletons, recently acquired, from Norton Fitzwarren (1909) and Wincanton (1912).  The Norton Fitzwarren skeleton is known in use from 25th April to 24th May 1909.

This Wincanton skeleton is known in use from 29th November 1912 to 19th January 1913.

Wincanton, WWI Censorship

The cover illustrated below was posted from Wincanton to the USA in October 1916 by Charles King, a stamp dealer.

As a stamp dealer, he had to have a permit to send stamps abroad.  His was number C21, as is written on the front of the cover.

Wincanton c. 1801-1804

The Wincanton straight line mark shown below is known used from 1801 to 1807.  The entire, to Birmingham, is undated apart from "1st July".

The entire has two postal markings, an "8" crossed out, and a stylised "10" (the spiral).  From 1801 to March 1805 8d was the postal rate for 120-170 miles and 10d was the rate for 230-300 miles (on 12th March 1805 the postal rates went up so that 8d was 80-120 miles and 10d was 170-230 miles).

Wincanton to Birmingham direct is about 125 miles while going via London is about 245 miles.  This fits with the 1801 rates as 8d would be the rate for going direct while 10d would be the rate for going via London.

This would date the entire to be from July 1801 to July 1804.

Wincanton mileage mark, 1817

Here is an example of the "WINCANTON / 118" mileage mark used in 1817, not brilliant but the first example I've managed to acquire.

Gillingham in Dorset, UDC under Wincanton

This is another cover associated with Wincanton, bearing a "GILLINGHAM" undated circular handstamp that was issued in 1846 under Wincanton.

This is currently the earliest recorded example of this UDC.

Wincanton Penny Post ?

The sheet below has two covers from after the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post with Receiving House handstamps going through Wincanton. 

Oxley in his book "The English Provincial Local Posts" identifies Wincanton as having a Penny Post with a receiving house at Bourton in use by 1838.  The top cover below is from Bourton with an ornate "No.2" receiving house handstamp.  The lower cover is from Stalbridge with an unboxed "No.7" receiving house handstamp, which was in use at Stalbridge in the Shaftesbury Penny Post.  It appears from this cover that Stalbridge transferred from Shaftesbury to Wincanton by 1843.

Buckhorn Weston (Dorset)

Buckhorn Weston in Dorset initially came under Bath (30 miles to its north) before transferring to Wincanton (4 miles north west), and then to Gillingham (4 miles east) in Dorset.

The sheet below has a Parcel Post Label from 1901 when it was under Bath and a Climax rubber cancel from 1911 when it was under Wincanton.

Westhay, West Pennard, Weston-super-Mare, Wincanton and Middle Street, Yeovil

Finally, to finish off the pile of material that has accumulated in recent months, here are a number of items late in the alphabet starting with a Certificate of Posting from Westhay in 1986.

Next is a telegram to Mr Allen (of cider fame) with a "WEST PENNARD / GLASTONBURY.SOMERSET" double circle double-arc handstamp dated July 1930.

The registered envelope below is from Weston-super-Mare in August 1915 to Japan and has the manuscript annotation "Via Siberia if available or america".

Here is a Wincanton Parcel Post Label dated July 1912.

And finally a registered letter from Middle Street, Yeovil in 1922 with a Yeovil registration etiquette manually filled in with sub-office "1".

Wincanton

A trio of items associated with Wincanton, starting with a Mulready envelope with an oily red Maltese Cross cancel from February 1841.

Next are a couple of items from the US Army Postal Service APO 253, which was at Wincanton from September 1943 to July 1944.

Finally a cover from January 1967 where the Wincanton Krag cancel missed the stamp so it was cancelled with a violet "WINCANTON / Somerset" cancel (using a John Bull printing set ??).

Selection of Skeletons

Here are a random selection of Skeletons (should that be a "rattle" of skeletons ?) that I have recently acquired, starting with Burnham from November 1916 ...

... Chard from January 1925 ...

 ... Shepton Mallet from August 1916 ...

... Street and Glastonbury (two skeletons for the price of one !) from December 1921 ...

... Trull from June 1909 ...

... Uphill from March 1913 ...

... and Wincanton from March 1920.

West Town and "Wincaunton"

West Town is 8 miles WSW of Bristol, which is its Post Town.  It was in the Bristol Penny Post from 1816 and became an R.S.O. in 1861, at which point it was allocated post office number B45.  It went back under Bristol in 1895 and was replaced by 'Backwell' in 1951.  This entire has a straight line "WEST TOWN" handstamp with a date inside of March 1824.  This is currently the only example known.

And here is an early Wincanton handstamp, a "WINCAUN / TON" from 1776 (known 1773-1776).  An earlier straight line "WINCANTON" is known from 1769 but only in the archives.