Somerset & Bristol Postal History

This Martock Parcel Post Label was used in August 1901 and has a handstruck "4" for the price.  This was the Parcel Rate for 1-2 lb between June 1897 and July 1906.

Here is a nice clear example of a Climax Rubber cancel from Sandford, Bristol used in May 1905.  This is an example of the third of such cancels issued, the first was issued in April 1893, the second is known used in 1903 and this third one is currently known used at the end of May 1905.

The Wellington "WEF" telegraphic cancel below is undated but cancels a KEVII stamp.

Skeleton cancels were used (a) when the normal cancel was mislaid, (b) when the normal cancel had been sent away for repair or updating, or (c) at busy times.  One suspects that the example below from Street in August 1921 was because the normal cancel had been sent away for repair or updating.

Street is one of the more difficult places to search for on the Internet - here is another example from later in 1959, being the windowed envelope for a Telephone Account.  The cancel, a double cicle with doule line-arcs, is known as a 'Birmingham' cancel as that is where the first cancel of this type was used.

Finally, here is a postcard from Saltford to Westminster in April 1923, with small single-ring Saltford cancels.

 

A few covers from Glastonbury now, starting with an early straight-line "GLASTON / BURY" from December 1772.

Next another (different) straight line "GLASTON / BURY" from June 1801.

Glastonbury had a Penny Post; Street had the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp - here is an example from August 1830.  It was originally charged as a single letter (10d plus the penny post) but was spotted by an inspector (red crown handstamp) and charged as a double letter (1/8d plus the penny post).

Shapwick had an unboxed "No.3" receiving house handstamp as shown on this entire date October 1837.

Ashcott was receiving house "No.1" - here is an example from February 1839.

Use of the penny post receiving house handstamps continued beyond the abolition of the local penny posts in 1840.  The boxed "No.2" handstamp from Street can be seen here on a cover from July 1844.  This was before Street was issued with a double-arc undated handstamp (udc) in January 1848.  Glastonbury was using a "311" barred numeral cancel from April 1844.

A number of Glastonbury "311" barred numeral cancels were issued - below is an example from January 1857 - probably the second of the three rather than the third as written up.

The example below from August 1859 would have been the third type of "311" cancel.

Vertical oval barred numeral cancels were in use from 1872.

Below is a commercial postcard from Clarks of Street, Somerset, manufacturers of shoes.  The postcard depicts Glastonbury Tor.

An interesting envelope below from November 1931, with an illustration for The Independant Order of Rechabites.

Street, 2½ miles from Glastonbury, was a receiving house in the Somerton Penny Post from 1806, and in the Glastonbury Penny Post from 1826.  By 1855 the post office came under Bath and then transferred to Bridgwater in 1873.  In 1878 it became a "Sub-Office/Post Town".

Although Street was not under Bridgwater from 1878, the cover below, from Street to Bolton-le-Moors in September 1897, was cancelled by a Bridgwater squared circle.  There is also a "STREET / SOMERSET" single ring handstamp on the reverse.  This would seem to mean that in some regards Street was still under Bridgwater.

The registered envelope below is from Street to Berlin in October 1922, cancelled with "STREET / SOMERSET" single ring cancels.

Bringing this small collection of UDCs to a close, here is a UDC from Stokes Croft in Bristol from February 1852.  I'm afraid that my attention seems to have wandered as I now seem to be collecting Bristol Postal History as well as Somerset.

These next two sheets show the currently earliest and latest recorded examples of the first Streeet UDC, from March 1848 ...

... and September 1848.  The second Street UDC was issued in June 1849.

Weare was issued with a UDC in December 1853; below is the earlst recorded example, from August 1853.

And finally here is an example of the West Pennard UDC from March 1857, currently the latest known example.

Continuing with UDCs, here is an example of the "BURNHAM-SOMST" UDC from November 1844.

This next sheet has three examples of Cheddar UDCs, from August & October 1848 and March 1849. The earliest Cheddar UDC was issued in December 1847, with later ones issued in March and April 1851.

... and here is a postcard from the period illustrating Cheddar.

This cover from March 1852 has three UDCs for the price of one, with UDCs from Churchill in blue, Langford in black and Street also in black, being the earliest recorded blue Churchill UDC and black Langford UDC.

This entire has a nice example of the Upper Clevedon UDC from the middle of June 1843 - not quite the earliest known which is from 1st June.

Here are a random selection of Skeletons (should that be a "rattle" of skeletons ?) that I have recently acquired, starting with Burnham from November 1916 ...

... Chard from January 1925 ...

 ... Shepton Mallet from August 1916 ...

... Street and Glastonbury (two skeletons for the price of one !) from December 1921 ...

... Trull from June 1909 ...

... Uphill from March 1913 ...

... and Wincanton from March 1920.

Starting with St Audries, which had a seasonal April-September Post Office, here are items from 1953 and 1963.

Then we move on to Sampford Brett, with items from 1921, 1926 and 1960.

This last item from  Sampford Brett in 1960 is addressed to The Rector, with an image from the postcard above which shows The Rectory.

... Shapwick, in 1905

... Shepton Beauchamp, in 1912 and 1929

... and finally Street S.O. from 1910 and 1914.

A parcel roller cancel is known in use at Bristol from 1901 to 1918 and from 1929 to 1930.  The datestamp on this Parcel Post label from Street is unreadable, but based on the KEVII stamp it was probably between 1902 and c.1912.

This skeleton from Portishead is currently the latest known example, dated 18th June 1918.

Here is an example of the "STREET SO / SOMERSET" skeleton, known from June to August 1907.

And an example of the "WATCHET / TAUNTON" skeleton from 26th May 1923, the first day of its known usage.