Post office · Madras Presidency
ArcotPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Arcot postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 6 Arcot handstamps recorded between 1815 and 1854, Madras Presidency, with 6 Arcot covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 6
- Recorded
- 1815–1854
- Rare
- 1
Headquarters of the North Arcot District, Madras Presidency, situated 12°54' N and 79°20' E, on the right bank of the Palar R. Formerly the capital of the powerful Nawabs of the Carnatic, but changed hands frequently. First captured by Clive in 1751, surrendered to the French in 1758, and included in the cession of the Carnatic to the British in 1801.
Arcot has 6 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1815–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Arcot handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Arcot— postal history & markings
Arcot's recorded postal record opens in 1815 with HG 1, a scarce black handstamp whose lettering was cut in reverse in the die — a peculiarity that makes surviving strikes immediately identifiable. It is joined by HG 1A of 1819, known from a single example. From 1821 the office worked chiefly in red ink: HG 2, scarce, ran to 1837, though one early strike of 1821 is recorded in black, and HG 3 continued the red series through the 1840s. By 1854 two further black handstamps, HG 4 and HG 5, were in common use as the pre-adhesive period closed.
The spread of colours and rarities traces a familiar arc for a Carnatic garrison town: the earliest marks are scarce and idiosyncratic, the later ones plentiful. Covers survive from HG 1, HG 1A and HG 2, giving collectors dated points across the office's four decades of hand-struck use.
Frequently asked — Arcot postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Arcot?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Arcot are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Arcot post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Arcot was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 6 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1815 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Arcot?
- 6 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Arcot 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 an Arcot 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 Arcot 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 Arcot were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Arcot, Arcot HG 1, Arcot handstruck stamps, Arcot pre stamp covers, Arcot postal history.
How to cite
“Arcot, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/arcot (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Arcot?
If you hold a cover or strike from Arcot 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 Madras Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Madras Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.