Post office · Bengal Presidency
BurdwanPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Burdwan postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 5 Burdwan handstamps recorded between 1828 and 1855, Bengal Presidency, with 7 Burdwan covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 5
- Recorded
- 1828–1855
Headquarters of the Burdwan District, Bengal, situated 23°14' N and 87°51' E, on the Banka River. The District of Burdwan was ceded to the East India Company in 1760.
Burdwan has 5 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1828–1855 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Burdwan handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Burdwan— postal history & markings
Burdwan's five handstamps, from 1828 to 1855, open with a scarce pair used in combination: HG 1 was struck 'with 2' and HG 2 'with 1', two stamps making one marking. HG 3 records the handover of the post from military to civil control, and HG 5 is a slide stamp, distinct from the Giles listing. The district had been ceded to the East India Company in 1760, among the earliest Bengal acquisitions, and its post reflects that long administration. Between the scarce combination openers and the slide-stamp variety, Burdwan offers the collector rather more detail than its five marks might suggest.
Frequently asked — Burdwan postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Burdwan?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Burdwan are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Burdwan post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Burdwan was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 5 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1828 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Burdwan?
- 5 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Burdwan in this census. 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 Burdwan called today?
- Burdwan is the colonial-era name of present-day Bardhaman, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Burdwan 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 Burdwan 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 Burdwan were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Burdwan, Bardhaman, Burdwan HG 1, Burdwan handstruck stamps, Burdwan pre stamp covers, Burdwan postal history.
How to cite
“Burdwan, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/burdwan (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Burdwan?
If you hold a cover or strike from Burdwan 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.