CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS ONE OF A COLLECTION MADE BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 AND BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL tJNIVERSITY Cornell University Library HE6185.G78 H492 + The history of the postmarks of the Brit 3 1924 030 133 536 olin Overs K Cornell University '/-"// Library "•^y. The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030133536 tCbe IDistor^ of tbe POSTMARKS OF THE British Isles From 1840 to 1876 compiled chiefly from official records BY The late JOHN G. HENDY CURATOR OF THE RECORD ROOM, GENERAL POST OFFICE Also published as a Supplement to " Gibbons Stamp Weekly" from March 6 to Aupisl 14, igog LONDON STANLEY GIBBONS, LIMITED 391 STRAND, W.C. NEW YORK STANLEY GIBBONS, Inc. rgS BROADWAY 1909 CONTENTS Page Preface . i Introduction . .8 LONDON CHIEF OFFICE CHAPTER I Inland Office ... -14 CHAPTER II Paid Letter.s and Official Correspondence . 25 CHAPTER III Registered Letters and Bankers' Parcels . 28 CHAPTER IV Newspapers and Books .... -32 CHAPTER V Returned Letter Branch . -39 CHAPTER VI . London District . 43 CHAPTER VII • Foreign Branch . 54 CHAPTER VIII Coloniai, and Foreign Packet Service . '59 CHAPTER IX Ship Letters .... 66 CHAPTER X Navy Post Office ..... 69 CHAPTER XI Travelling Post Office ... ... 70 iv CONTENTS CHAPTER XII Page Country Post Offices—England and Wales 75 CHAPTER XIII Home Packet Service 87 CHAPTER XIV Scotland 97 CHAPTER XV Ireland . 108 CHAPTER XVI Postage Stamps CHAPTER XVII CON'CLUSION 127 APPENDICES A. List of Penny Posts in 1839 . • '31 B. List of Principal Places in the Suburban Delivery, with the Sorting Offices from which they were served, 1857 147 C. List of Obliteration Marks, with their Numbers . 154 D. Inland Rates of Postage, 1840 to 1885 . 178 E. Postage Stamps Issued from Somerset House, 1840 to 1876 180 F. List of Papers Issued by the Mercantile Committee, etc., 1838 and 1839 ..... .183 G. List of Colours for Colonial Postage Stamps, 1861 184 THE POSTMARKS OF THE BRITISH ISLES FROM 1840. PREFACE. The general interest taken in the subject of postmarks and postage stamps, and the favourable reception and reviews accorded to my work on the early postmarks of the British Isles,* has abundantly proved that, in spite of a world of books, there is still a sufificient demand for such a publication. This fact has, to a great extent, influenced my present venture in producing a companion volume continuing the history of British post- marks from the point where the first volume ceased down to 1876. In revising for publi- cation in book form the articles which have already appeared in The Bazaar^ Exchange, and Mart, the arrangement of the contents has followed as closely as possible the lines of the earlier volume. In rewriting the work opportunity has been taken to add some particulars of the sections of the postal service where the various postmarks were in use. A chapter on postage stamps, without which a work of this description could hardly be considered complete, has been included, and the opportunity has also been taken of in- troducing some notes and types of postmarks that should have been included in the earlier work. Figs, i and 2 are date stamps of the London Chief Office, introduced at Figs. 1 and 2. London Date-marks. the end of 1786 or the beginning of 1787. This particular type, with the month printed in full or nearly so, was apparently in use for a very short time, and will be generally of the same year the found in the earlier months of the year 1787 ; in the later months type was changed, as shown in Fig. 3 on page 4 in the early volume, an abbreviated form " " of the year being added. I have seen these marks with the letter .Al in the centre, as well as " B." * The History 0/ the Early Postmarks of the British Isles, l.y John G. Hendy. London : L. Upcott Gill. i 2 THE POSTMARKS OF THE BRITISH ISLES FROM ISJfO. It is regretted that, in describing the many changes in connection with the London Penny Post, the Act of Parhament 4 George II. c. 33 was inadvertently overlooked. This omission makes it necessary for mc to supplement my former remarks on page 55 by the following explanation. The Act of Anne merely provided that letters by the Penny Post should be charged a penny, and was silent on the subject of the second or delivery penny. The Act 4 George II. c. 33, of 1731, made the delivery penny legal. The Act of 1794 made prepayment optional, and imposed a postage of 2d. in either direction on letters to or from parts beyond the cities of London and Westminster, the Bprough of Southwark, and their suburbs ; but letters from one part of the cities of London and Westminster and Borough of Southwark to another part of the town were, until the year 1801, only charged one penny. Another matter that has been brought to my notice in connection with the London Penny Post is the use of three marks not shown in the earlier volume. These postmarks, gtMASON Fig. 3. Fig. 4. Fig. 5. ' Figs. 3, 4, and London Penny Po->t Varicdes. which are fairly rare, should be included at page 60. As alre.idy pointed out, the London Penny Post receivers used no stamp or mark previous to the year 1794. As regards Fig. 3, a correspondent surmises that "Mason" kept the Penny Post Office at West- minster. This surmise is not quite accurate. The mark shown was probably taken from '• " a letter of the year 1787. I have one bearing the date Nov. 8. 1787 posted at Edin- burgh for delivery at Battersea Rise. This letter bears the two marks shown in Figs. 4 and with this exception, that is " " 5, the small stamp 5 o'clock" instead of 10 o'clock" ; but this cover bears no name such as " Mason.'' Upon inquiry, however, I find that one Daniel Mason was, in the year 1787, chief sorter at the Temple Branch Office of the Penny Post. I am unable to say why or for what purpose his name was impressed on the letter. A regul;ir postmark was in use at the Temple Office in 1704, Fig. 6. Fig. 0. chief The office of the Penny Post was removed, in 17;^, from Throgmorton Street to Post Office Yard, Lombard Street. Many types of postmarks which, according to date, should have been included in the earlier volume have been brought to my notice by friends who are desirous that they may now be included in the companion volume, and accordingly they are inserted here, with notes attached where such is possible or necessary. The two "Free" marks are particularly good. Fig. 7 is an entirely new type to me. In Fig. 8 the "S" in the centre PREFACE. no doubt represents Sunday. The three Foreign Office marks are interesting. Fig. 9, in which the letter "V" is inserted instead of the figure "5," was an error of the stamp maker, as explained on page 10 of the earlier volume. Fig. 10, bearing the number ;JUL2?8 Fig. Fig. 9. \^1-^ o iaos^ Fig 10. Fig. 11. " 97 " in the centre, is explained by the following arrangement. A register was kept in the Foreign Office of letters returned from abroad. These letters were numbered con- secutively and entered in the register. The sender of the letter was informed that a letter bearing such a number would be given up upon payment of the postage due upon it. The object in using the number was to prevent the name of the addressee being divulged, in which case the sender would probably know the contents of the letter. The plan, however, does not appear to have been very successful, as in 1807, out of some 1 200 returned letters, only fifty were applied for. Fig. 11, although bearing the year date, has the month and day omitted. Fig. 12 is an early " Paid" mark of the London Chief Office, and Fig. 13 was in common use in the same office, the figure being written in. My attention has also been drawn to a few interesting early country postmarks. A unique mark is that of Stockport, Fig. 14, resembling somewhat the marks in use at Jersey and Guernsey; another of the curved variety is that of Manchester, Fig. 15. There is also another curious old postmark of Manchester, dated 1706, printed in one and are line if inches long, letters i\ inch high, in which the letters "hp;" "te" conjoined. — THE POSTMARKS OF THE BRITISH ISLES FROM mO- " Missent," and "Too It is not possible to illustrate the numerous types of "Paid," under my Late" marks, but the following are given as a few of the best that have come notice, Figs. i6 to 22 : ' IT " 1S22. Fig. 16 Fig. IB. Dissent to SALISBURY paid at Ftome > ^ 1S20. Fig. 17. lSS5(Ulackink). Fig. IS. 1831. Fig. 19. •«*S TOO LATE ^ tr^ ^ 22. Fig. 20. lS2fl. Fig. 21. 1820 (Shrewsbury). Fig. Some of the larger towns, such as IJirmingham, Bristol, Exeter, etc., had several are given— Figs. 23 to types of Penny Post marks in use ; five of the rarer of these marks 27. The Bristol is the smallest of this class of dated siaxn^ I have seen. BRISTOL P? P PYPOST N^'I5J Fig. 23. 18S6(Birmingliani). l''ig. -4. Itij7 (Birmingham). Fig. 25. Fig. 20. isn Fig. 27. 1822.