Post office · Bengal Presidency
BerhamporePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Berhampore postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 10 Berhampore handstamps recorded between 1790 and 1857, Bengal Presidency, with 35 Berhampore covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 10
- Recorded
- 1790–1857
- Rare
- 5
Berhampore, also known as Baharampur, is a city in West Bengal and the administrative headquarters of Murshidabad district.
Berhampore has 10 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1790–1857 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Berhampore 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 | 1790 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 1a | Handstamp | Black | 1794 | Rare |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1800 | Rare |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1807–1836 | Common |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1833–1838 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1817–1837 | Very scarce |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1857 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1840–1857 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Red | 1839–1848 | Scarce |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | — | Rare |
Berhampore— postal history & markings
Berhampore's nine handstamps reach back to 1790, among the earliest starts on the census, with HG 1 known from a single example and HG 1a of 1794 rare. The office worked mainly in black, with red on a couple of later marks, and several of its dies are notably large: HG 2 measures 55 by 20mm and the very scarce HG 5 a striking 66 by 33mm.
Serving the administrative headquarters of Murshidabad district, the office leaves a compact but genuinely early record, its opening marks contemporary with the first organised Company posts in Bengal. Between the 1790 opener and the outsized later strikes, Berhampore rewards the collector who values age and format over sheer numbers.
Frequently asked — Berhampore postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Berhampore?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Berhampore are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Berhampore post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Berhampore was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 10 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1790 and 1857.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Berhampore?
- 10 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Berhampore in this census, of which 5 are 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.
- What is Berhampore called today?
- Berhampore is the colonial-era name of present-day Baharampur, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Berhampore 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 Berhampore 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.
For background on the material itself, see the guides to the handstruck stamps of India, the pre covers of India and the pre stamp covers of India, which explain how marks like those recorded at Berhampore were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Berhampore, Baharampur, Berhampore HG 1, Berhampore handstruck stamps, Berhampore pre stamp covers, Berhampore postal history.
How to cite
“Berhampore, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/berhampore (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Berhampore?
If you hold a cover or strike from Berhampore 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.