What is the Tumlook MN 1 marking?

Tumlook MN 1 is a pre-1854 manuscript postal marking of Tumlook (modern Tamluk) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1816. The "MN 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.

How rare is Tumlook MN 1?

Tumlook MN 1 is graded "Rare" in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.

What does a Tumlook pre stamp cover with MN 1 look like?

A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Tumlook is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by manuscript rate marks like MN 1. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.

How do I identify or submit a Tumlook MN 1 cover?

Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1816). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.

Bengal Presidency · Pre-1854 Manuscript

Tumlook MN 1

Manuscript

Type: Manuscript
Date Span: 1816
Rarity: Rare
Figure: MN1
Submitted by: Debojyoti Chakraborty

← HG 2 All Tumlook

Census

Census records

1 cover recorded

1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Tumlook MN 1 manuscript marking is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-4400

3 June 1816

1816 Tumlook – Bath entire letter via Cape route, with "তামালুক" (written as Tamaluk for Tumlook) dispatch manuscript stamp in contemporary Bengali, date "3d June 1816" and "Post Pd rate 4As" (comprising 2A Tamlook – Calcutta inland postage plus 2A outgoing ship charges for letter not exceeding 1 Sicca Weight) বেথ ইঙ্গলেন্ড – ৷৹ (in Bengali the destination Bath, England, and 4As in fractional currency system) applied in manuscript, upon reaching Calcutta GPO Giles G2 "G.P.O./JUNE 4/180x" applied twice and Giles SD6 "CALCUTTA/POST NOT PAID" (as sent bearing from India) transit mark dated "4th June 1816" applied, it was carried by a private vessel (non-packet) to UK via Cape of Good Hope, entered via Liverpool port & there "LIVERPOOL/SHIP LETTER" transit mark applied, there receiving clerk initially rated the postage at 1/7 pence (1 shilling, 7 pence, comprised the standard 8d non-packet Ship Letter fee as per the Act of 1815 plus an 11d inland postage, based on an estimated direct distance of 170–230 miles to Bath) but as the mail coach route deviated through Huntingdon (“HUNTINGDON/59” provincial mileage mark applied), the actual transit distance exceeded 230 miles. The inland rate was reassessed to the higher 230–300 mile tier (12d). The original "1/7" manuscript was struck through, and the correct "1/8" (8d ship + 12d inland) applied by manuscript, at the destination double ring "F/1 JA 1/1817" CDS delivery mark applied & bearing postage was collected from the recipient. This vernacular (Bengali) manuscript stamp dated 3rd June 1816 proves the existence of Tamlook PO much earlier than the first recoded hand stamp HG 1 of 1837.

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About this mark

The Tumlook MN 1 marking

Tumlook (Tamluk) is the headquarters of a subdivison of Midnapore District, Bengal, situated 22°18' N and 87°56' E, on the banks of the Rupnarayan River. Indigo, silk, and copper were the chief exports from ancient Tumlook; it is a place of great pilgrimage, The earliest Hindu tradition places the sea 8 miles off, but the process of land-making at the mouth of the Hooghly has gone on slowly and steadily, and has left Tumlook an island village, now 60 miles distant from the sea,

Tumlook MN 1 is a pre-1854 manuscript postal marking of the post office at Tumlook — the present-day Tamluk — in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1816. Its "MN 1" designation is the figure number assigned in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.

A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "Rare" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for tumlook pre stamp covers, tumlook postal history or "Tumlook MN1" material can compare MN 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Tumlook marks.

Frequently asked

What is the Tumlook MN 1 marking?: Tumlook MN 1 is a pre-1854 manuscript postal marking of Tumlook (modern Tamluk) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1816. The "MN 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.
How rare is Tumlook MN 1?: Tumlook MN 1 is graded "Rare" in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.
What does a Tumlook pre stamp cover with MN 1 look like?: A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Tumlook is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by manuscript rate marks like MN 1. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.
How do I identify or submit a Tumlook MN 1 cover?: Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1816). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.

Same office

Other recorded marks at Tumlook

2 marks

2 other pre-1854 postal markings of Tumlook are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.

View all Tumlook marks and postal history →

Suggest a correction

Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.

Also searched as: Tumlook MN 1, Tumlook MN1, Tumlook Giles MN 1, Tamluk postal history, Tumlook handstamp, Tumlook pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Tumlook MN 1 — manuscript,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/tumlook/mn-1 (accessed 17 August 2026).

Updated: 17 Aug 2026