Post office · Bengal Presidency
TirhootPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Tirhoot postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Tirhoot handstamps recorded between 1819 and 1854, Bengal Presidency, with 8 Tirhoot covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1819–1854
- Rare
- 1
Tirhoot was formerly a District of Bengal situated between 25°54' and 26°28' N and 84°53' and 85°45' E, and was later divided into two Districts, Muzafferpur and Dhabahnga. The Tirhoot Post Office seems to have been near Buxar.
Tirhoot has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1819–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Tirhoot handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Tirhoot— postal history & markings
Tirhoot's four handstamps, from 1819 to 1854, open with a distinctive rarity: HG A of 1819 is an intaglio mark, cut in reverse and struck white on black, and rare. HG 1 is scarce, the later marks common, worked in black and red. A former Bengal district later divided in two, Tirhoot's post served the country north of the Ganges. The record is small, but the reverse-cut HG A — a style prized wherever it appears — gives the collector a genuine target, and anchors the office with an unusual and early first strike.
Frequently asked — Tirhoot postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Tirhoot?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Tirhoot are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Tirhoot post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Tirhoot was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1819 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Tirhoot?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Tirhoot 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.
- How do I identify a Tirhoot 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 Tirhoot 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 Tirhoot were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Tirhoot, Tirhut, Tirhoot HG 1, Tirhoot handstruck stamps, Tirhoot pre stamp covers, Tirhoot postal history.
How to cite
“Tirhoot, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/tirhoot (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Tirhoot?
If you hold a cover or strike from Tirhoot 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.