Post office · Bengal Presidency
Barasat
- Handstamps
- 1
- Recorded
- 1836
- Rare
- 1
Barasat (recorded under the same name) is a city in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, north-east of Kolkata and today the district headquarters. In the early colonial period it was a country station on the road out of Calcutta, associated with indigo planting and the East India Company's officers. As a post town of the Bengal Presidency its pre-1854 markings trace the mail of the Calcutta hinterland.
Barasat has 1 pre-1854 hand-struck postal marking from 1836 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Barasat handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1836 | 1 example recorded |
Frequently asked — Barasat postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Barasat?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Barasat are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Barasat post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Barasat was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 1 distinct postal marking used there, dated around 1836.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Barasat?
- 1 hand-struck postal marking is recorded for Barasat in this census, of which 1 is graded rare or better. Each mark carries its Hammond Giles catalogue figure number, colour, date range, evidence-based rarity grade, and links to every surviving cover recorded with it.
- How do I identify a Barasat postmark or cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impressions on this page — each figure shows the mark's design, ink colour and recorded date range. If your Barasat cover bears a mark that matches a figure, open that figure's page to see every recorded example with provenance. If it matches none, it may be unrecorded: submit photographs through the form on this page and the editors will review it for inclusion in the census.
Also searched as: Barasat, Barasat HG 1, Barasat handstruck stamps, Barasat pre stamp covers, Barasat postal history.
How to cite
“Barasat, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/barasat (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Barasat?
If you hold a cover or strike from Barasat that does not match any figure above, submit it below. Approved additions appear here as new entries in the census — every submission is reviewed first.
Same presidency
Other post offices in the Bengal Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Bengal Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.