Post office · Madras Presidency
NegapatamPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Negapatam postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 8 Negapatam handstamps recorded between 1809 and 1857, Madras Presidency, with 12 Negapatam covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 8
- Recorded
- 1809–1857
- Rare
- 2
Negapatam, a sea port on the Tanjore coast, Madras Presidency, is situated 10°46' N and 79°51' E, 212 miles from Madras. During the first M ysore War, it was captured by an expedition from Madras under Sir Hector Munro. When, in 1799, the Tanjore kingdom came into British hands by treaty, Negapatam became the District headquarters and remained so until 1845. Negapatam and Nagore were incorporated as a single municipality in 1866.
Negapatam has 8 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1809–1857 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Negapatam handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Negapatam— postal history & markings
Negapatam's eight handstamps run from 1809 to 1857, from a seaport on the Tanjore coast. Its two earliest marks — HG 1 and HG Add, both of 1809 — are each known from a single example, a scarce opening for the office, after which HG 2 and its fellows settle into common use, split evenly between black and red.
The port was captured by an expedition out of Madras under Sir Hector Munro during the first Mysore War, and passed firmly to the British when the Tanjore kingdom came to them by treaty in 1799. Its postal record is small, but those two single-example strikes of 1809 make its earliest years the ones a Madras collector will chase.
Frequently asked — Negapatam postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Negapatam?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Negapatam are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Negapatam post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Negapatam was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 8 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1809 and 1857.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Negapatam?
- 8 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Negapatam in this census, of which 2 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 Negapatam called today?
- Negapatam is the colonial-era name of present-day Nagapattinam, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Nagapatam. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Negapatam 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 Negapatam 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 Negapatam were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Negapatam, Nagapattinam, Nagapatam, Negapatam HG 1, Negapatam handstruck stamps, Negapatam pre stamp covers, Negapatam postal history.
How to cite
“Negapatam, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/negapatam (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Negapatam?
If you hold a cover or strike from Negapatam 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.