More foreign mail from Bristol, starting with an entire from Bristol to Bath, Maine in January 1854.  The mail went on a British ship so the USA were credited with 5c for US inland postage.   The contents are accounts for the ship. Another piece of mail to the USA, from Bristol to Concord via Boston in December 1854.  Again it was transported by British Packet, so of the 1/- (= 24c), Britain kept 3c for inland postage plus 16c for the packet transport, while the USA was credited with 5c for US inland postage.  The letter arrived in Boston on Christmas Day 1854. The next l ..read more

The Mulready letter sheet below, stereo A226, was sent from Bristol to Tetbury in July 1842. The letter sheet was pre-printed and says that a parcel is to be forwarded by Railway from the Bush Inn ..read more

Here are a selection of perfins used at Bristol, starting with a GWR one used in 1909.  The GWR was a prolific user of perfins. Baker, Baker & Co. were wholesale and retail drapers.  The example below is from 1912. Robbins were saw mills.  The example below is from 1916. The envelope below is from Alliance Assurance Co. in 1922. The commercial envelope below was sent in 1934 by John Lysaght ltd. The envelopes below were from Elders & Fyffes, in 1949 and 1951. The envelope below has a "WILLS" perfin from W.D. & H.O. Wills in 1979 ..read more

The Post Office Savings Bank came in to being in 1861 when the General Post Office was authorised to undertake savings bank business by the Post Office Savings Bank Act. The Bank started its history on Monday 16 September 1861 in two small rooms in the Post Office headquarters, St Martins-le-Grand, London EC and in 1863 took over more spacious accommodation in a warehouse at 27 St Paul's Churchyard, EC. With the growth of the Bank these premises too became too small and a new headquarters was built at 144 Queen Victoria Street, EC in 1880. This sufficed until 1903 when a move was made to a new ..read more

It is sometimes the odd ephemeral item that is of interest.  The sheet below has a couple of items, the top one being an envelope from 1855 with a printed seal for the Somerset Archeology & Natural History Society which had been founded some six years earlier. The second item is more interesting to my eyes - it is a receipt for a Philips 12" table tv and an aerial dated 30th May 1953.  I assume it was to watch Queen Elizabeth's Coronation on 2nd June 1953.  The cost (£65 for the TV and £10 for the aerial) are equivalent to what can be paid today (£2,250 and £340) for a large ..read more

Taunton sub-offices were given numeric registration etiquettes.  Here are a few of them, starting with one with a plain "TAUNTON" registration etiquette but with an oval "REGISTERED / 2 / TAUNTON, SOMERSET" cancel dated March 1950.   Station Road used "TAUNTON 5" registration etiquettes. Musgrove had "TAUNTON 9" registration etiquettes.   The District Valuer also used a specific registration etiquette, "TAUNTON 12".   ... and the Hydrographic Office used "TAUNTON 31" etiquettes ..read more

 A Frome Cheese Show has been held on a Wednesday in September since 1861, with a Mobile Post Office in attendance in 1928 and in most years from 1947 to 1874.  The cover below from 1948 has a hand written unattributed registration etiquette. In 1949 the registration etiquette is printed - the show is now just the Frome Show. An undated cover, with a postcard showing the Chesse Show at Frome, sent in 1956. A registered cover sent in 1958.  The show is now the Frome & District Show. Two more registered covers from the Frome & District Show, in 1959 and 1961. Another ..read more

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. As ..read more

Mail and stage coaches, local coaches, fly waggons, all provided a passenger and parcel service before the advent of the railways, and before the British Post Office provided a parcel service from 1883. This first item is a receipt from a coaching inn in April 1820.  It totals £5-11-6d, equivalent to about £585 today, and has a note of tips given to the Butler, Waiter, Chamber Maid and Boot along with a note about the "Post paid by Turnpike" which may be the Postillion. The Bull and Mouth was a famous London coaching inn, from where a number of coaches set off - including the North Devon ..read more

Czechoslovak forces were in the UK during WWII, first in Cheshire, then moving to Leamington Spa, followed by Ilminster and then Lowestoft.   The forces moved to Leamington Spa in late May 1942, before moving off to Lowestoft by the end of August.  Forces were billeted in farms throughout Somerset.  ..read more