Post office · Madras Presidency
ChicacolePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Chicacole postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 7 Chicacole handstamps recorded between 1773 and 1855, Madras Presidency, with 13 Chicacole covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 7
- Recorded
- 1773–1855
- Rare
- 5
Chicacole, in the Ganjam District, Madras Presidency, is situated 18°17' N and 83°55' E, on the left bank of the Langula River, 4 miles from its mouth, and on the trunk road 567 from Madras and 422 miles from Calcutta. An important military station of the E.I.C. until the 1860s, and, at one time, famous for its muslins.
Chicacole has 7 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1773–1855 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Manuscript markings
2 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
Chicacole handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Chicacole— postal history & markings
Chicacole holds one of the very earliest marks in the census: HG 1 is dated 1773 — a date this census has corrected from the 1775 given by Giles — and is known from a single example. Two manuscript endorsements, MN 1 and MN 2, follow in 1822, and a couple of the later marks are noted as found in the military postmaster's own postal record of letters.
An important East India Company military station in the Ganjam District until the 1860s, Chicacole leaves only a handful of marks, but their reach is remarkable — from a 1773 strike among the oldest on the census to manuscript rate endorsements drawn straight from a postmaster's ledger. For age alone, its opening handstamp is one of the most significant in the Madras series.
Frequently asked — Chicacole postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Chicacole?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Chicacole are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Chicacole post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Chicacole was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 7 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1773 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Chicacole?
- 7 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Chicacole in this census, of which 5 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.
- What is Chicacole called today?
- Chicacole is the colonial-era name of present-day Srikakulam, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Chicacole 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 Chicacole 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 Chicacole were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Chicacole, Srikakulam, Chicacole HG 1, Chicacole handstruck stamps, Chicacole pre stamp covers, Chicacole postal history.
How to cite
“Chicacole, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/chicacole (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Chicacole?
If you hold a cover or strike from Chicacole 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.