Bristol Parcel Roller Cancel

A parcel roller cancel is known in use at Bristol from 1901 to 1918 and from 1929 to 1930.  The datestamp on this Parcel Post label from Street is unreadable, but based on the KEVII stamp it was probably between 1902 and c.1912.

Motor Fuel Ration Book

Something a little different - here is an unused Motor Fuel Ration Book with a Fishponds handstamp from March 1957.  These were produced as a result of the Suez Crisis.

Bristol Penny Post - Henbury

Henbury had a boxed "No.51" handstamp from 1827.  The example below from April 1834 is currently the latest known example.

Later in 1834 Henbury had an unboxed "No.51" handstamp, which is known in use until 1842.  The entire below also has an unboxed "No.4" from Westbury-on-Trym, one mile to the south of Henbury.

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).

Bristol Penny Post - Clifton, Keynsham

Clifton was originally the boxed "No.2" receiving house in the Bristol Penny Post and seven different boxed "No.2" handstamps are known.  Here is a poor example of the fifth one from June 1827, probably just before it was replaced.

The entire does have a nice "TOO LATE" handstamp, of the third type that was in use at Bristol.

Keynsham was the boxed "No.10" receiving house, with four different boxed handstamps known and one unboxed one.  This is an example of the unboxed handstamp from December 1837.

Bristol "B / RIS / TOL"

The next few posts are going to be a burst of Bristol, starting with an example of the large "B" with "RIS" and "TOL" in the loops from April 1758.

The "B" measures 18-19 mm x 21mm, or 20mm wide if you include the serif on the "B".  Examples of this type of handstamp are known from 1747 to 1772.  Individual handstamps did not last long, being carved from wood, so there are a lot of different examples (I don't have many examples but have yet to find two the same).

Offices under Bath - Road (Rode), Sparkford

"Road" came under Bath by 1855 and was renamed "Rode" in 1919.  It transferred to Frome in 2001.  This first sheet has items from March 1891 and August 1906.

Here is a registered item from May 1917 - it appears as if it may have come under Frome at the time ?

Sparkford came under Bath until it transferred to Yeovil in 1925.  Here is an item from December 1898.

Offices under Bath - Queen Camel, Radstock

Queen Camel has been under a number of different Post Towns - it started under Sherborne in Dorset, then transferred to Taunton, then to Bath, and finally to Yeovil.  Here is an envelope from March 1890 when it was under Bath.

Radstock was an office under Bath until 2001 when it became a Post Town.  Here is an envelope from August 1873 with a rather blurred Radstock handstamp on the reverse and a Bath cancel on the front.

Offices under Bath - Henstridge

The map of Offices under Bath that I showed in my last post did not include Henstridge.  It should have done based on the marks on these couple of sheets (1903 - 1906).  The second sheet has an image of a nice period view of Henstridge from the postcard..

Offices under Bath - Codford St Mary (Wilts), Evercreech

The next few posts will be a very few of the offices under Bath. The map below illustrates the maximum extent of Bath's reach (though not all were necessarily under Bath in the same period).

Here is an envelope from Codford St Mary in Wiltshire from May 1891, under Bath until 1908.

A couple of items from Evercreech, from July 1868 and December 1892.