Somerset & Bristol Postal History

The "BAGBOROUGH / TAUNTON" skeleton below was previously ony known used on 10th August 1908 - this example is dated 14th September 1908.  It appears to be the same skeleton so one assumes that it was in use in the intervening period.

The postcard depicts one of the Great Western Channel Islands fleet.

I do have another example of this skeleton but it is only dated August, no day of the month.

I have recently acquired this copy of the "PORLOCK / TAUNTON SOMT" skeleton, used on 11th May 1925 at the end of the known period of use.

Here are a trio of skeleton cancels starting with one from Evercreech in 1922.  The cancel was only known used on Christmas Eve so may have been brought into service to cope with increased workload.

And the last of the trio is from Langport.  It was also only used for one day, on 8th August 1924.

A random accumulation of Skeletons, starting with a Climax rubber skeleton for Holford used on 29th May 1914.

The skeleton below from Midford used on 14th March 1906 was also a Climax rubber cancel.

The skeleton below from Marston Magna is only known used on 2nd October 1942.

This Templecombe S.O. skeleton was in use for about a month, from 2nd April to 3rd May 1912.

And finally a Williton skeleton that was in use for about a month, from 12th December 1909 to 10th January 1910.

A skeleton postmark is a circular datestamp made up from loose metal type. Skeletons are brought into use when an office's handstamp is damaged, mislaid or being updated, usually for a short period, then returned to the Post Office stores for reuse.  

Here are a few skeletons, starting with a "BOURTON / WINCANTON SO" skeleton used in February 1909.  Bourton is in Dorset but came under Wincanton.  The skeleton is known in use from 9th February to 20th March 1909.

Skeletons were normally metal (with removable type) but there are also skeleton climax rubber cancels, as shown in the example below from Fivehead.  This skeleton cancel is only known used on 1st and 2nd November 1907.

Here is another rubber skeleton cancel, from Lydeard St Lawrence - the cancel is mispelt as Laurence.  The cancel is only known used on 11th December 1913.

Castle Cary used skeleton cancels in 1910 (January to March), 1912 (February), 1913 (June to August) and 1914 (June to July).  Here are examples of all four skeleton cancels.  1910 and 1913 are 36mm diameter, the 1912 one is 31½ mm, and the 1914 skeleton is 31mm.

Here are some more Climax rubber cancels, starting with one from Odcombe in May 1916.

The next couple are skeletons starting with one from Wadeford in August 1912 ...

... and from Yarlington in May 1906.

Finally here is a Climax rubber cancel from Burlescombe in Devon in December 1924 - I include this as part of Somerset because Burlescombe came under Wellington, which is indicated in the cancel.

Happy New Year !!

 Here are a few skeletons - temporary postmarks used when the main cancel has got lost, broken or is being updated/replaced.   Early skeletons were called Travellers and here is a Traveller from South Petherton in June 1847.

 

 

... followed by one from Wincanton - this example is from January 1913 but the skeleton is known from 29th November 1912 to 19th January 1913.

 

Here are a couple of Langport skeleton cancels;  the first from 1909 is known used from 29 May to 21 June.

The second example from 27th April 1921 may be an earlier date for one known used on 5th May 1921. Another earlier skeleton is known from 25th March but this seems to be smaller.

Here are a couple of Ilminster Skeleton cancels, the first from November 1894.  The Skeleton handstamp was applied on the reverse of the envelope when it was redirected from Ilminster to London.

This "ILMINSTER / SOMERSET" skeleton cancel was applied on December 1916, and is known in use from 13th November to 20th December 1916.

To go with the 1916 cancel, here is a paper cutting showing the Ilminster Post Office staff from the 1914-1918 period.

Here are a couple more skeletons, the first from Crewkerne in 1898 - the skeleton is known used from 17th September to 7th October 1898.

The second is from Montacute - it is known used from 5th to 21st January 1906.  Its use was imediately after a different skeleton ("MONTACUTE / SOMERSET" rather than "MONTACUTE / ILMINSTER") which is known from 14th December to 24th December 1905.  I wonder what was in use from 25th December to 4th January ??

Taunton used a number of Skeleton (or Traveller) handstamps in the 1840s.  These temporary handstamps were brought into use when there was a problem with the normal handstamps, for example if the normal one was being updated or replaced, or perhaps sometimes when it got mislaid.

The first skeletons (a plain "TAUNTON", no code) were from 1841, firstly in March, and then a second similar one in August.  The alignment of the lettering with the date is different between the two.  As "TAUNTON" has seven letters it has to either be slanted to the left or to the right compared to the date (it can't be symmetrical).  The March skeleton is to the right, the August one is to the left.

The next skeleton ("TAUNTON / 2") known was used in August 1846.

The final skeleton currently known used at Taunton in the 1840s is in a different format, a blue "TAUNTON / 7" single ring, known in February 1849.

 Skeleton cancels are employed at post offices when their cancellers break, are changed, or perhaps are temporarily mislaid.  The "FRESHFORD / BATH" skeleton below is currently only known used on 22nd February 1912.

 Here is an example of a "BATH / 1" traveller-type skeleton dated 21st July 1845, which is the first known date of usage.

The contents are a printed letter from Townsend, Parker & Townsend of London who sold high quality wallpaper.