Post office · Bengal Presidency
KedgereePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Kedgeree postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 15 Kedgeree handstamps recorded between 1815 and 1858, Bengal Presidency, with 82 Kedgeree covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 15
- Recorded
- 1815–1858
- Rare
- 1
Kedgeree, a small village in the Contai division of Midnapore District, situated 21°52' N and 87°59' E, on the right bank of the Hooghly River. Formerly an important anchorage, being the first landfall up the river, 20 miles from Calcutta, where mails on incoming vessels would be off-loaded, and letter-packets put on board vessels departing.
Kedgeree has 15 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1815–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Post office handstamps
10 marks
Ship Letter
5 marks
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Kedgeree 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 | 1817–1821 | Common |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1821–1827 | Common |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1828–1833 | Common |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1835–1836 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1837–1842 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1846–1851 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1838–1848 | Common |
| HG 7A | Handstamp | Red | 1844 | Rare |
| HG 7B | Handstamp | Black | 1854 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1857–1858 | Common |
| S1 | Handstamp | Black | 1815–1822 | Scarce |
| S2 | Handstamp | Black | 1822–1828 | Common |
| S3 | Handstamp | Black | 1828–1839 | Common |
| S4 | Handstamp | Black | 1836–1846 | Common |
| S5 | Handstamp | Black | 1855–1857 | Common |
Kedgeree— postal history & markings
Kedgeree was the first landfall up the Hooghly, an anchorage below Calcutta where mail from incoming ships was offloaded and outgoing packets put aboard — and its marks reflect that role. Alongside the HG town handstamps sits a ship-letter series, S 1 through S 5, opening in 1815. The office worked almost entirely in black, with only one mark in red.
Spelling is the collector's key here: the town's name carries a shifting number of letter 'e's, and the dies record it. HG 1 shows 'four Es in Kedgeree', while HG 2 and HG 3 drop one to spell 'Kedgree' — the quickest way to place a strike. HG 7B is noted as the Paid version of Giles 7, unusually still in black. For a small Midnapore village, Kedgeree leaves a distinctly maritime record.
Frequently asked — Kedgeree postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Kedgeree?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Kedgeree are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Kedgeree post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Kedgeree was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 15 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1815 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Kedgeree?
- 15 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Kedgeree 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 Kedgeree called today?
- Kedgeree is the colonial-era name of present-day Khejuri, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Kedgeree 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 Kedgeree 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 Kedgeree were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Kedgeree, Khejuri, Kedgeree HG 1, Kedgeree handstruck stamps, Kedgeree pre stamp covers, Kedgeree postal history.
How to cite
“Kedgeree, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/kedgeree (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Kedgeree?
If you hold a cover or strike from Kedgeree 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.