Somerset & Bristol Postal History

I have posted an example of the "AXBRIDGE / 141" boxed mlieage mark before here, but I have now acquired a slightly better example.

This example is dated 25th January 1804, whereas my previous example was a month later dated 24th February.  This handstamp is only known used in 1804 and is quite difficult to find.  The example above shows the final "E" separated somewhat from the rest of the handstamp;  perhaps the handstamp broke so was not used later.

The contents of the letter from the Reverend Sydenham Teast Wylde at a formal attestation that he qualifies for a Deputy Lieutenancy in the county of Somerset.  With thirteen children one might speculate that he could do with some extra income.
 

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.

The "AXBRIDGE / 141" boxed mileage mark is only known used in 1804.  I've been looking for an example for a while and have finally found one (not a very clear example it must be admitted).

A Penny Post was established at Cross in 1827 after the establishment of a new Mail Coach from Bristol to Bridgwater.  Cross was only a tiny place but it was at a point where the new coach road crossed a minor road from Axbridge to Weston-super-Mare.

A number of the receiving houses in the Cross Penny Post are difficult to place, though the first few are quite clear.  Axbridge had the boxed "No.1" receiving house handstamp, often used in blue alongside a straight-line "AXBRIDGE" handstamp.

Places often continued to use their Penny Post receiving house handstamp as receiving marks even after the introduction of the uniform penny post and the abolition of Penny Posts.

Weston-super-Mare had the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp, ...

I've just started collecting parcel post labels - there seem to be a lot of different type with very small differences between them, and I haven't quite got my head round them yet.  Here is one from Axbridge in May 1920, franked with 9d for a 3-7 lb parcel.

Receiving House handstamps continued to be used after the abolition of the local Penny Posts when the Uniform Penny Post was introduced in 1840.  They were generally used as despatch marks in the local village post offices, and this continued until the more general introduction of the undated circular handstamps from 1844.

The wrapper below has an unboxed "No.1" receiving house handstamp and went through Cross to Bewdley.  One would normally look to the wrapper originating wherever the unboxed "No.1" handstamp had been in use but no unboxed "No.1" handstamp is recorded in use in the Cross Penny Post.  There was however a boxed "No.1" handstamp that was used at Axbridge.

The wrapper has a filing note of "Mr John Bulls Receipt" and Pigot's Directory of 1844 has a John Bull as a Tin-Plate worker in "Chedder".  Both Cheddar and Axbridge were in the Cross Penny Post so either are potential locations for the unboxed "No.1" receiving house handstamp.

The entire below from Axbridge to Crediton in December 1816 bears earlier examples of the "AXBRIDGE" handstamp, SO 20 (previously known from 1818) and the "WELLS.S / Penny Post" handstamp, SO 935 (previously known from 1817).  The Axbridge handstamp is not crisp and clear like I would expect an early example  to look, but it is definitely an example of SO 20 rather than the earlier and shorter SO 15 "AXBRIDGE (I scanned and overlaid examples of both handstamps to check which matched).

The contents appear to be from a land agent to the owner and include a list of disbursements claimed by one of the tenants.

A pair of covers from September and December 1825 sent from Axbridge to London, going via the Wells Penny Post.  Axbridge had a boxed "No.5" receiving house handstamp but mainly used the straight-line "AXBRIDGE" handstamp.  It as also receiving house "No.1" in the Cross Penny Post.

Here are two examples of post from Axbridge, the first in 1827 is in the Wells Penny Post, and the second in 1832 is in the Cross Penny Post.

The Cross Penny Post came into being in 1827 as a result of the establishment of a mail coach from Bristol to Bridg(e)water.  Cross took over receiving houses from Bristol (Hutton, Uphill, Weston and Worle) and from Wells (Axbridge and Cheddar).

A trio of items employing their towns' post office numbers, starting with an Axbridge "994" 3-bar horizontal oval cancel used in July 1859.  This 3HOS is known used from January 1858 to March 1863 and was not registered in the Steel Impression Book.

This next item is Printed Matter from Shepton Mallet with a Shepton Mallet "701" triangle cancel.  The contents are the programme of events for the Mid-Somerset Young Farmers' Club in October 1953.

And finally here are two envelopes with Somerton "720" horizontal oval cancels, sent in September 1856 and September 1863.

Here are a pair of Axbridge covers, both with straight-line "AXBRIDGE" handstamps.  The first, from 1907 is 37x4 mm.

... while the second from 1842 is 40x4 mm with a damaged final "E".

Here is a fairly early straight line handstamp from 1774 (there are a lot of early Wells handstamps that I do not have examples of).

Then a two-line "WELLS / S. 123" mileage mark from c.1786.  From this handstamp onwards, the Wells handstamps had an "S" or "SOMERSET" or similar to indicate it was the Wells in Somerset rather than Wells-on-Sea in Norfolk.

From 1807 here is another mileage mark, "WELLS-S / 129", with an increased measure of mileage to London.

Wells had a Penny Post with perhaps 10 receiving houses.  Here is an example from Axbridge "No.5" from 1824, one of the more common handstamps to find.

From 1829 here is a "WELLS SOMERSET" circular handstamp.

A few examples of Receiving House handstamps in the Cross Penny Post, starting with the boxed "No.1" from Axbridge from 1831.  This also has straight-line "AXBRIDGE" and framed "Cross / Penny Post" handstamps.

Next a boxed "No.2" from Weston-super-Mare from 1836, with an unframed "Cross / Penny Post" handstamp.

And finally a boxed "No.10" from South Brent from 1841.

There are no markings on the entire below to indicate that it went in the Post, just instructions to go by Coach from Cross.  The Post Office mail coach from Bristol to Bridgwater did not start until 1827.

A few more items that I've acquired in the last months, this time from the City of Wells.  Firstly an entire from Wells to London with a "WELLS / 129" with boxed mileage (as opposed to with lines above and below the mileage).

Then a couple of items with Penny Post Receiving House handstamps, both from 1824.  The No.5 Receiving House in the Wells Penny Post was Axbridge, which also used a straight line handstamp.  This entire has both the straight line "AXBRIDGE", a boxed "No.5" and also a "WELLS SOMT / Penny Post" handstamp for good measure.

The second Penny Post item also has the "WELLS SOMT / Penny Post" handstamp along with a boxed "No.15" Receiving House mark.  This entire, from Writhlington, would have travelled via Old Down and that is where the boxed "No.15" handstamp came from - Old Down used the boxed "No.15" handstamp between 1823 and 1826.

Axbridge had a Fifth Clause Post from Bristol in 1805, then transferred to the Wells Penny Post in 1816.  Here's an example of the boxed "No.5" cancel from 1823.
In 1827 it became part of the newly established Cross Penny Post.  The example below, with a boxed "No.1" cancel, is from 1830.

An "AXBRIDGE" straight line cancel carried on in use until 1849.  The examples above are of the second type (40x4 mm) while the one below is of the third type (36x4 mm).
Finally a single-ring cancel from 1903 on a postcard showing a view of the centre of Axbridge.