Post office · Bengal Presidency
GurbettahPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Gurbettah postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 1 Gurbettah handstamp recorded in 1850, Bengal Presidency, with 1 Gurbettah cover traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 1
- Recorded
- 1850
- Rare
- 1
Garhbeta (the Gurbettah of early records) is a town in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, on the Silabati river in the Rarh borderland, known for the ravines of the Gongoni khal nearby. It was a market and route town of the Medinipur uplands. As a post town of the Bengal Presidency its pre-1854 markings trace the mail of the western Bengal country.
Gurbettah has 1 pre-1854 hand-struck postal marking from 1850 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Gurbettah 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 | 1850 | 1 example recorded |
Gurbettah— postal history & markings
Gurbettah — Garhbeta, in the Paschim Medinipur country of western Bengal — leaves a single handstamp, HG 1 of 1850, known from one example. The record is minimal — one mark, and a scarce one — a genuine target from a small town of the Bengal uplands.
Frequently asked — Gurbettah postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Gurbettah?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Gurbettah are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Gurbettah post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Gurbettah was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 1 distinct postal marking used there, dated around 1850.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Gurbettah?
- 1 hand-struck postal marking is recorded for Gurbettah 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.
- What is Gurbettah called today?
- Gurbettah is the colonial-era name of present-day Garbeta, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Gurbettah 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 Gurbettah 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 Gurbettah were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Gurbettah, Garbeta, Gurbettah HG 1, Gurbettah handstruck stamps, Gurbettah pre stamp covers, Gurbettah postal history.
How to cite
“Gurbettah, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/gurbettah (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Gurbettah?
If you hold a cover or strike from Gurbettah 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.