Post office · Madras Presidency
Negapatam
- Handstamps
- 8
- Recorded
- 1809–1854
- 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 1809–1854 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.
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 1854.
- 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.
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 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 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.