Scan or Photo Courtesy of Santosh MS
Date
24 April 1834
Description
1834 Palamcottah – Cornwall entire via Madras & Cape route, with Palamcottah Giles 3 "PALAMCOTTAH/POST PAID" despatch handstamp, date "24 April 1834" & rate "Dbl 1R2A" (rate was 8A for a single letter sent between 400–500 miles; this was a double letter as it weighed between 1–2 tolahs, hence paid 1R inland & 2A as outward sea postage for a letter not exceeding 3 tolahs) applied in manuscript. At Madras, Giles SD11 "OUT STATION/MADRAS/29 AP 29/1834/SHIP LETTER" & Giles MX4 "MADRAS/29 AP 29/1834" transit marks applied. Sent to the UK via the Cape route & entered there via Brighton port; there "INDIA LETTER/BRIGHTON" transit handstamp & rate "2/4" (2s 4d comprising 2s Brighton–Cornwall double-letter inland postage + 4d India incoming sea postage) applied & obliterated. New "3/4" (this time 3s calculated as treble-letter inland postage + 4d India incoming sea postage) applied in manuscript, sent to Cornwall, & there "G/4 DE 4/1834" delivery mark applied.
Same office
Other recorded marks at Palamcotah
11 marks11 other pre-1854 postal markings of Palamcotah are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Palamcotah HG 1handstampBlack1787–1792
- Palamcotah HG 1AhandstampBlack1792
- Palamcotah HG 2handstampMauve1819–1823
- Palamcotah HG 3Ahandstamp1829
- Palamcotah HG 4handstampBlack1831-36
- Palamcotah HG 5handstampRed1837-49
- Palamcotah HG 6handstampBlack1838-39
- Palamcotah HG 7handstampRed1856–1857
- Palamcotah HG 8handstampBlack1840
- Palamcotah HG 9handstampRed1838–1843
- Palamcotah HG 10handstampBlack—
About this record
This 24 April 1834 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Palamcotah HG 3 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far.