Post office · Bengal Presidency
Houghly
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1785–1855
Houghly Town is the headquarters of Houghly District, Bengal, on the right bank of the Hooghly River, situated 22°55' N and 88°24' E. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1537, and the English factory there dates from 1651.
Houghly has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1785–1855 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Houghly handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Frequently asked — Houghly postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Houghly?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Houghly are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Houghly post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Houghly was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1785 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Houghly?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Houghly 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.
- How do I identify a Houghly 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 Houghly 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: Houghly, Hooghly, Hugli, Houghly HG 1, Houghly handstruck stamps, Houghly pre stamp covers, Houghly postal history.
How to cite
“Houghly, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/houghly (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Houghly?
If you hold a cover or strike from Houghly 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.