Bruton

Apologies if these posts are a bit random, but that's almost what they are !

Here are a couple of items from Bruton, the first being a boxed mileage mark from 1803.

Secondly a Bruton "948" 3VOD cancel from 1877 with an envelope used for Stuckey's Banking Co.

Bath Miscellaneous

First another Printed Matter item, an envelope sent for ½d within Bath. It was undelivered (not known) and returned to the sender for a further ½d postage due for "Return to Sender".

The contents was a notice of an Extraordinary General meeting of the shareholders of The Bath Theatre Royal Company.

Second is a letter from the Bath Station Sorting Office with "To Pay" labels as a receipt for the customs charge on a parcel.

A couple of Bath Vertical Oval cancels

First, from September 1879 is a Bath 4VOD to Derby on a County Court, Bath preprinted envelope.  The inside flap of the envelope gives details of how payments into Court must be made - in Cash or by Post Office Order made payable to a specific named individual (Mr Edward George Smith).  Cheques or Postage stamps cannot be received.  An interesting opportunity for fraud if your name happened to be Edward George Smith !

Second is an undated Bath 2VOS (or maybe 3VOS) cancel to Shrewsbury.  Based on the postal rate and the lack of any datestamp this must have been Printed Matter.

Sion Hill undated circular handstamp

The envelope below from January 1846 was posted from Sion Hill, Bath to Localsh, Scotland and has a red "SION-HILL" UDC handstamp on the front.  This is currently the earliest known usage of this handstamp.  It is also known in black from April 1851 to December 1852.

A couple of Bath Skeletons

Three early uses of Skeleton handstamps are known in Bath.  The first, "BATH / *", is known used from 25th June to 5th July 1844.

The second,  just "BATH", which I don't have a copy of, is known from 18th July to 21st July 1845.  Presumably it was then modified to create the third type of skeleton which was "BATH / 1", known used from 21st July to 4th August 1845.

Bath redirected mail

An item from Hilperton, Devizes to Wm. Uphams's Library, Bath redirected to London.  The postage charged was 1d Devizes Penny Post plus 8d General Post (Devizes to Bath to London).

Oxley does not indicate where Receiving House No.4 was in the Devizes Penny Post.

Alford Undated Circular handstamp

The envelope below from 1856 has an "ALFORD" undated circular handstamp (UDC) on the reverse.  It is not clear whether the colour is a faded red or an oxidised yellow - I'm plumping for red.

Previously one Alford UDC handstamp in black from 1852 is the only known example.

"AISHCOTT" handstamp, 1800

The entire below has a circular undated "AISHCOTT" handstamp, unrecorded in the British County Catalogue.  The dealer I bought it from at Stampex (Autumn 2014) did have another cleaner (but much more expensive) example from a similar date.

The documented "ASHCOTT" handstamp is known used from 1812-1834 (according to the BCC).

Returned Letter Office, 1817

The preprinted "Returned Letter" form was sent from the Returned Letter-Office in London to Wiveliscombe in June 1817, with an undeliverable letter enclosed - unfortunately this letter is no longer enclosed so we don't know why it was undeliverable.

Here is a scan of the contents of the Returned Letter form.

It is not clear to me why this Returned Letter was charged 4d.

The filing notes on this preprinted form may indicate that the undeliverable letter was originally to a Mr Oliver at Chard.  Wiveliscombe to Chard is about 25 miles, so would have been 6d in the General Post (for 20-30 miles).

Is it possible that the charge of 4d represents the postage from Wellington, Wiveliscombe's Post Town, back to Wiveliscombe ?  This is about 8 miles (via Milverton) so would have been 4d in the General Post (for up to 15 miles).

In later years the handling of returned letters was performed at the Returned Letter Branch, Bath.  Post Towns were also issued with "Undeliverable for reason stated / Return to Sender" cachets.

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.