Somerset & Bristol Postal History

Taunton also had a Penny Post but not as large as Bristol's.  It was originally a Fifth Clause Post but converted to a Penny Post quite soon.  The item below has the boxed "No.2" receiving house handstamp used a Monksilver and dates from July 1817.

The boxed "No.3" receiving house handstamp was in use at Torre.  The Norwich Union Insurance form below was sent in August 1825.

The free front below has an unboxed "No.5" receiving house handstamp which is thought to be from Bicknoller.  The date looks like 1830 but unfortunately the address is indecipherable.

The entire below from April 1833 has unboxed handstamps from Trull ("No.8") and Blagdon Hill ("No.9").
The Penny Post handstamp continued to be used after the introduction of the uniform penny post.  The entire below is from Creech St Michael and has an unboxed "No.11" receiving house handstamp.

Torre was in the Taunton Penny Post until it was reorganised in 1828 following the completion of a new turnpike road between Taunton and Minehead through Crowcombe.

Some more examples of the early Taunton Penny Post, beginning with an entire from 1820 written from [Bishops] Lydeard, showing a faint boxed "No.1" handstamp.

And a further example from 1826 ...

Next two examples of the boxed "No.3" handstamp from Torre, both from 1826.  The top example does not have a "TAUNTON / Penny Post" handstamp and was addressed to Stogumber, another receiving house in the Taunton Penny Post, so it probably went direct without going into Taunton and back.

And finally an entire from 1824, written in Stogumber and addressed to Wells.  At this time Stogumber was served by a messenger to and from the Taunton-Minehead ride, the cost of which was an additional 1d paid by the inhabitants of Stogumber on top of the Penny Post.

Torre was No.3 Receiving House in the Taunton Fifth Clause Post until April 1823 when it converted to a Penny Post.  Here are two examples of the boxed "No.3" handstamp in the Taunton Penny Post from 1826 and 1827.


There are no examples of the boxed "No.4" handstamp (Dunster) in the Taunton Penny Post as Dunster remained in the Fifth Clause Post until the major reorganisation of the Taunton Penny Post in 1828/9.  After the reorganisation the boxed handstamps were withdrawn, and Dunster became a Bye Office (so post to and from Dunster were charged at the General Post rates based on mileage).

Taunton's Penny Post started some time before May 1817 with the Receiving House at Gore Inn, Bishop's Lydeard ("No.1" boxed handstamp) having a branch to Bagborough, Crowcombe, Lydeard St. Lawrence, Handy Cross and Combe Florey.

In April 1823 Monksilver ("No.2" boxed handstamp) and Torre ("No.3" boxed handstamp) converted from Fifth Clause to Penny Posts.

In 1824 the inhabitants of Stogumber requested an improvement to their post - as the number of letters was small an official Post was denied, but a bag was made up at Taunton and dropped off at the nearest point to Stogumber (about one mile), with a private messenger costing an extra 1d on each letter (over and above the General Post plus Penny Post charges) employed to pick up the mail and meet the return coach.

The item below originated in Stogumber in 1824 and may have been subject to these arrangements.  It does not have any Receiving House marks.
Here is the reverse of the item showing that it originated in Stogumber.

The item below also originated in Stogumber in 1827.

The item below originated in Capland, just south of Hatch Beauchamp.  It was taken to Hatch, presumably by a servant, to catch the private post to Taunton, to then go in the Penny Post to Torre, and then to Chapel Cleeve.  It was charged 2d as a "short" letter, ie. on that did not go in the General Post.

Apart from the prepaid example in the previous post, my examples of letters from Torre to destinations outside of the Fifth Clause Post are all charged at the General Post rate from Taunton - which would match with what is supposed to take place, that the sender has to pay the Fifth Clause Post fee, whatever that is.  There is no indication on any of these entires on what such a fee might have been.

... to continue from the previous post, here is an entire from Torre, the Receiving House with the boxed "No.3" handstamp.  It was sent entirely within the Fifth Clause Post, from Torre to Taunton, and was charged 5d - which happens to be the General Post rate for the 15-20 miles that matches the distance from Torre to Taunton.

The following is another item that may help pin down the Taunton Fifth Clause Post rates.  It is from Torre ("No.3") to Wiveliscombe but has been prepaid.  The postal charge was 6d, which again matches the General Post rate for the total distance from Torre to Wiveliscombe via Taunton.  It is also possible that it could be made up a different way, with a 4d charge for the General Post from Taunton to Wiveliscombe and a 2d charge for the Fifth Clause Post.

Finally, here are four more examples of "short" letters from Torre in the Taunton Fifth Clause Post - they are all charged 5d as in the first example - matching the rate for 15-20 miles in the General Post.

Taunton had a Fifth Clause Post from January 1808, some Penny Posts from1823, and a major reorganisation of the Penny Posts in 1828.  For the full details join the S&DPHG and read the Journal articles (!) but here is a brief synopsis.

I have one  entire that appears to be from the Taunton Fifth Clause Post - unfortunately no Taunton FC handstamp but they are very rare (rarity H according to the BCC), but it does have a boxed "No.3" Receiving House handstamp (Torre).

From the early Penny Post period, here is an item with a Taunton Penny Post handstamp from 1824, apparently originating in Stogumber, with a scan of the back of the entire.

And here is an entire from 1827 with a boxed "No.3" Receiving House handstamp (Torre).