Early Mileage Marks - "126 YEOVIL"

The “126 YEOVIL” handstamp is known used from 1789 to 1792, though could have been in use earlier as the two previous Yeovil handstamps are only known used in 1778 and 1780 in archives.

The entire mentions enclosures. Between 1784 and 1796, 4^d was the General Post rate for up to 80 miles, so at triple rate (for two enclosures) that would be 1/- postage.

Early Mileage Marks - "WELLS / S. 123" (and "WELLS / N. 122")

The “WELLS / S. 123” handstamp is known used from 1785 to 1787. The example below is unfortunately undated. The “S.” in the handstamp is for Somerset, to differentiate it from Wells in Norfolk (known as Wells-next-the Sea from 1955).

According to the BCC, Wells in Norfolk had two “WELLS / N. 122” handstamps of different sizes in use from 1786 to 1790.

Early Mileage Marks - "TAUNTON / 143"

The “TAUNTON / 143” handstamp is known in use from1785 to 1787.

The postal charge of 6^d above is not correct for 143 miles to London as the rate from August 1784 was 5^d for up to 150 miles and only 6^d if over 150 miles. It is possible that the charge was made at 6^d based on a corrected mileage from Taunton to London. A route from Taunton to Crewkerne and then up the Western Post Road is about 157 miles, while going via Bath and the Bristol Post Road is about 163 miles. In 1802 Taunton was issued with a “TAUNTON / 161” handstamp.

Perhaps there was a “typo” when the handstamp was made, misreading “163” as “143” ??

Early Mileage Marks - "136 SOMER / TON"

The “136 SOMER / TON” handstamp is known in use from 1786 to 1790. 

Early Mileage Marks - "118 SHIPTON / MALLET"

The “118 SHIPTON / MALLET” handstamp is known used from 1790 to 1796. It is thought that it was issued earlier than 1790; there is only one handstamp known in use at Shepton Mallet prior to this, and that was known used in 1772, so there is plenty of scope for the mileage mark to be in use earlier than 1790.

Currently the item below is the latest known usage of the “118 SHIPTON / MALLET”, used in November 1796.

Early Mileage Marks - "135 CREWK / ERN", "FROME / 107"

The “135 CREWK / ERN” handstamp is known in use in 1784-1785. The example below is early, from 27^th September 1784.

The “FROME / 107” mileage mark is known used from 1786 to 1788. The mileage “107” is in noticeably small lettering.

The Free Front above is franked "Boyle" which is the signature of Edmund Boyle, 7^th Earl of Cork and 7^th Earl of Orrery (21 November 1742 – 30 May 1798).

Early Mileage Marks - "140 BRIDGE / WATER"

The “140 BRIDGE / WATER” handstamp is known in use from 1785-1786. A two-line “BRIDGE / WATER” handstamp is known used from 1783 to 1786, possibly in concurrent usage with the mileage mark though it may have been used before and brought back into use after the Bridgwater mileage mark.

I do not currently have examples of the “115 CASTLE / CAREY”, “144 CHARD” or “141 ILMIN / STER” marks, so cannot illustrate them here – please do send me an image if you have a copy of any of these marks (or let me know if you have a copy you would like to dispose of).

Early Mileage Marks - "113 BATH"

In 1784 the Post Office introduced handstamps with the mileage to London on them, to aid post office clerks in determining the postal charges. These handstamps had a limited life as the mileage to London changed as the postal routes altered and after about five years the Post Office stopped issuing them.

By the end of the 18^th century the Postmaster General had instructed John Cary, a map-maker, to prepare a survey of all the principal roads in the country under the supervision of the Superintendent of Mail Coaches. This was used in the issue of the second series of mileage stamps from 1801.

Cat No	Type	Handstamp	Comments	Size (mm)	Colour	Dates	Rarity
SO 64	27	113 BATH	single line, taller “3”	33x6	Black	1784	F
65	26	BATH / 110	figures 6½ mm, round zero	26x16	Black	1784	F
66	26	BATH / 110	figures 6½ mm, oval zero	26x16	Black	1785-86	F
68	26	BATH / 110	figures 5mm high	25x14	Black	1786-87	F
217	27	140 BRIDGE / WATER		42x12	Black	1785-86	F
317	27	115 CASTLE / CAREY		42x13	Black	1784-85	G
339	27	144 CHARD	single line	40x5	Black	1786	F
391	27	135 CREWK / ERN		40x13	Black	1784-85	E
479	26	FROME / 107		38x15	Black	1786-88	E-F
550	27	141 ILMIN / STER		34x13	Black	1787-98	D
668	27	118 SHIPTON / MALLET	issued earlier	45x12	Black	1790-96	E
697	27	136 SOMER / TON		39x12	Black	1786-90	F
760	26	TAUNTON / 143		38x14	Black	1785-87	E-F
911	26	WELLS. / S. 123		24x13	Black	1785-87	E
1054	27	126 YEOVIL	single line	40x6	Black	1789-92	D

As can be seen from the table above, extracted from the Somerset County Catalogue, while the majority of the marks (9) are of the form 'mileage town', the remainder (6) are two line marks of the form 'town / mileage'.

The original mileage to London for Bath, 113, was very soon amended to 110 (by 1801 it had changed again to 109 miles to London).

Despite what it currently says on the Postal Museum website, the 1784 mileage marks were not introduced because the postal rates of 1784 charged based on the total distance that the mail travelled – that did not happen until the introduction of the 1796 rates on 5^th January 1797.  In 1784 postal charges were still based on the postal charge to London plus the postal charge onwards from London as two separate charges.  The postal rate change in January 1797, along with the survey of principal roads by John Cary, may well have been instrumental in causing the Post Office to re-introduce mileage marks in 1801.

The first mark above, “113 BATH” is currently the earliest known usage of an English mileage mark, on 14^th September 1784 (again correcting the information currently on the Postal Museum website).

I have already posted on the "BATH / 110" handstamps here.

Drimpton (Dorset)

Drimpton post office was open for three separate periods; from 1852 to 1866, from 1885 to 1900, and from 1927 to 1994.  It has come under Crewkerne, Bridport and Beaminster.

The sheet below has an example of the Drimpton UDC in blue (one of two currently recorded examples, the only one in blue) from May 1853.  The UDC was issued in June 1852 under Crewkerne.  By 1856 Drimpton was under Bridport, but the 1853 cover below appears to have come under Beaminster, with a Beaminster barred numeral cancel and double-arc dated handstamp on the reverse.

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.