Continuing ... Bruton, Buckland St Mary, Burnham-on-Sea, Clevedon - and Combe Sydenham

The entire below dated December 1774 has a very clear "BRUTON" handstamp, at the start of its known usage.

The "BRUTON / 142" boxed mileage mark on this entire dated 1808 is much less clear, being towards the end of its known usage from 1802 to 1809.

A Certificate of Posting from Buckland St Mary in 1992 is probably one of the few ways to get a local postmark.

The novelty card below, from Burnham-on-Sea in 1925 was charged postage due as it was treated as a Letter because there was more than the sender's name and address on it.

The envelope below went as Printed Matter and received a "170" triangle machine cancel.  The slogan cancel was in use from 26th October to 1st November 1961 and 1st to 28th November 1962, and there is a pencil annotation on the reverse of "11/62" which matches the second period of usage.

And finally a picture illustrating Combe Sydenham, Somersetshire in 1765.  Combe Sydenham did not have a post office.

Continuing with .... Bath, Bedminster, Bitton, Brean Camp, Bridgwater & Brompton Ralph ....

Carrying on the letter below was from Cheltenham to Bath in 1836 with a boxed "No.6" receiving house in the Cheltenham Penny Post.  This was thought to be Tewkesbury Road.

The registered letter below is from Bedminster to London in 1922.  The "R / BRISTOL 47" registered etiquette has been known used with HPO Parcels.

The envelope below was from Bitton to Basingstoke in 1860 and bears a very faint "BITTON" double arc undated cancel on the reverse, at the end of its recorded usage.

The uprated airmail below was sent registered to the USA in 1957, most probably a philatelic usage.

A definitely philatelic usage is this FDC for the CEPT stamps on 18th September 1961 sent within Bridgwater.

The postal stationery envelope below was sent from Brompton Ralph in August 1854, with a blue "BROMPTON-RALPH" udc on the reverse.  The udc is known from December 1853 to August 1854 in blue.

Miscellaneous Covers starting with Avonmouth, Axbridge, Banwell, Barrington ....

The next load of posts will be a miscellaneous set of covers starting with an Advice of Delivery of an Inland Registered Letter from 1965.

This next cover also comes from Avonmouth, sent registered in 1937.

Two postcards from Axbridge to South Africa in 1905 go two different Bristol 'Dulwich' transit marks, a "BRISTOL / 28" in April and a "Bristol / 16" in May, and ....

.... unused postcards showing Axbridge.

The envelope below was written and posted in Banwell in 1851 (I wonder if the positioning of the postage stamp was a message to the recipient?).

Finally a postcard from 1953 with a KGVI stamp with a clear "BARRINGTON / ILMINSTER.SOMERSET" cancel.

Some Commercial Ephemera

Here is some commercial ephemera associated with Bristol starting with a receipt from Edwardes, Ringer & Co in 1868 - they were Tobacco and Snuff Manufacturers at 90 Redcliff Street.

Below is a Dividend Warrant for the Bristol Dock Company dated April 1872 ...

... and here is a receipt from Lewin's Mead Sugar Company dated 1864.

 The postcard below sent in 1900 has a pink receipt from the Bristol Steam Navigation Company pasted on to it, with a violet "ENTERED IN CASH BOOK" cachet applied.

This last item is not Bristol related, coming from Alnwick, but is an invoice and receipt from 1854 from William Maile, Coach Builder and Harness Maker ... "patronised by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland and the Right Honourable Earl Grey".

Clevedon Telegraph Form, 1894 and Postcard 1904

The unused Telegraph form below has a Queen Victoria 6d embossed stamp and a "THE TRIANGLE / CLEVEDON" handstamp dated 2nd August 1894.

The QV 6d embossed stamp is similar to the 1854 6d embossed postage stamp but has small circular marks towards the base.  The back of the form details what the 6d charge includes.

The Postcard below was sent from Clevedon to Clifton in 1904 - the postcard was written at 2:30 with the sender indicating that they would be home about 10pm and presumably expected that the postcard would be delivered before then.  With that kind of delivery why would one send a Telegram ?

More Bristol Postage Due or other Cachets

The airmail envelope below from Bristol to USA in 1977 had charge marks applied in Reading as it was franked with the internal letter rate rather than the airmail rate.

The airmail letter below from Bristol to USA in 1984 was caught in Bristol and transferred to surface mail as it was insufficiently franked.

In 1986 the underfranked envelope below from Bristol to USA was caught at Reading.

The envelope below from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare has a revenue protection cachet - presumably the meter account would have been charged directly for the postage due.

 

Below are two more insufficiently franked envelopes to the USA in 2001 which were caught and diverted to surface mail.

Some Bristol Postage Due covers

Here are a few postage due items associated with Bristol starting with two postcards from 1922 and 1925 going to the USA with insufficient stamps - resulting in hexagonal "T" tax stamps as they passed through Bristol.  The top has a "T / 10 / BS" and the bottom a "T / 10 / 134" handstamp.

The envelope below from Australia was marked as Airmail but has a framed "INSUFFICIENTLY / PREPAID" cachet and a "5D / 134" postage due mark applied in Bristol.

The Postcard Rate went up in October 1957 catching out the sender of the postcard below sent in 1959.

Both envelopes below were sent unfranked.  In 1964 the top one was charged 5d based on the Printed Matter rate, while the bottom one was charged 6d based on the Letter Rate.

The envelope below, sent in 1964, has an incomplete meter mark so was charged 5d postage due.

Both envelopes below were charged 8d postage due in 1965 and 1966 being double the 4d Letter Rate.

"Dear Doctor" from Lundy

The postcard below from Lundy in 1962 is addressed to a doctor in Michigan advertising Pentothal Sodium.

Some random Bristol ....

Here are a few items associated with Bristol starting with a letter from Hotwells to Lincoln's Inn with a "7 / P P / P" messenger handstamp.  The handstamp indicated that the local post had been paid, the handstamp being applied by the messenger who had collected the letter whilst on his rounds.

 

The item below is a completed insurance form going from Glastonbury to Norwich which was missent to Bristol in 1822.  The reverse has two postage charges, a stylised "10" for the charge to London which was crossed out in London and replaced with a "1/-" for the total charge to Norwich.

 

The single arc "BRISTOL" on the entire below was in use from 1827 to 1839.

The letter below was prepaid by the sender and has a "PAID / AT / BRISTOL" mark to indicate this.

Parliamentary Notices were treated like Registered Mail but were kept separate.  They had to have "Parliamentary Notice" on the front but the word "Registered" was prohibited.

Book Post was introduced in 1848, becoming Printed Matter from 1916.

A bit of Crewkerne

Here are a few early marks from Crewkerne starting with a two-line "CREWK / HERNE" from 1789.  Postage was dependant on the distance the letter was being sent, 2d for one post stage and 3d was the charge for two stages.  A post stage was generally 15-20 miles.

The next two sheets show letters dated 1798, 1799 and 1801 with "CREWKHERNE" straight line handstamps.  From 1797 the lower charges were based on miles rather than post stages, 3d for up to 15 miles and 4d for 15-30 miles.