Post office · Madras Presidency
CampPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Camp postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 8 Camp handstamps recorded between 1792 and 1824, Madras Presidency, with 19 Camp covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 8
- Recorded
- 1792–1824
- Rare
- 6
"Camp" markings were used at temporary, travelling field post offices that accompanied military columns and touring officials in the Madras Presidency, rather than at a fixed town.
Camp has 8 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1792–1824 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Manuscript markings
3 marksBefore handstamps were introduced, postmasters wrote postal details by hand — these manuscript markings pre-date the struck marks above.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Camp handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Camp— postal history & markings
Unlike the fixed town offices, 'Camp' marks belong to the travelling field post offices that moved with military columns and touring officials across the Madras Presidency. The record runs from 1792 to 1824 and is unusually rich in manuscript endorsements: MN 1, 'Camp Post Paid', is known from a single cover of the early 1790s; MN 2 reads 'Camp Post Not Paid'; and MN 3 of 1824 carries a 'Treble / P N Paid' rating written from camp near Calicut.
Among the struck marks, HG 1 of 1799 is rare and tied to a camp at Callingapatam, while the common HG 2 survives on eleven covers and is recorded from a scatter of locations — Nundidroog, Madaveram, Moodgull, Belgaum and others — that map the army's movements rather than any single post town. HG 3 and HG 4, both of 1815, are each known from one example. The group is best read as a record of postal service on the march.
Frequently asked — Camp postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Camp?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Camp are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Camp post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Camp was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 8 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1792 and 1824.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Camp?
- 8 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Camp in this census, of which 6 are 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 Camp 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 Camp 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 Camp were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Camp, Camp Post Office, Camp PO, Camp HG 1, Camp handstruck stamps, Camp pre stamp covers, Camp postal history.
How to cite
“Camp, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/camp (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Camp?
If you hold a cover or strike from Camp 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.