Post office · Madras Presidency
PondicherryPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Pondicherry postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 16 Pondicherry handstamps recorded between 1786 and 1862, Madras Presidency, with 121 Pondicherry covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 16
- Recorded
- 1786–1862
- Rare
- 4
Pondicherry was the chief of the French Settlements in India, and is situated on the Coromandel coast, 11°56' N and 79°49' E, about 12 miles north of Cuddalore, and 105 miles from Madras. It was founded in 1674, captured by the Dutch in 1693, but was restored in 1699. It was besieged 4 times by the British. First, unsuccessfully by Admiral Boscawen in 1748, then by Eyre Coote in 1761, captured and returned in 1765. In 1778 it was captured by Sir Hector Munro, and the fortifications destroyed, but returned in 1785 under the Treaty of Versailles of 1783. It was captured a fourth time in 1793 by Colonel Braithwaite, and finally restored in 1816.
Pondicherry has 16 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1786–1862 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Pondicherry handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1786–1823 | Scarce |
| HG 1a | Handstamp | Black | 1818 | Scarce |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1795 | Rare |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1804–1817 | Rare |
| HG 3A | Handstamp | Black | 1801 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1804–1815 | 2 examples recorded |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Red | 1826–1836 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1826–1836 | Scarce |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1851 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1839–1841 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1839 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1839–1854 | Very common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Black | 1851–1854 | Common |
| HG 12 | Handstamp | RedBlack | 1849–1858 | Very common |
| HG 12a | Handstamp | Black | 1850–1852 | Common |
| HG 13 | Handstamp | Black | 1855–1862 | Common |
Pondicherry— postal history & markings
Pondicherry, the chief of the French settlements in India, has one of the earliest starts on the census: HG 1, a scarce black handstamp, is recorded in use from 1786 and ran, remarkably, to 1823. The early marks are the scarce ones — HG 2 of 1795 and HG 3 of the 1800s are both rare, while HG 4 of 1804 to 1815 carries a note questioning whether it is a true post-office mark or the stamp of a field post.
From the 1820s the office settled into heavier, mostly red use, and several of its later handstamps are among the commonest survivals anywhere: HG 10 and HG 12 are noted very common, each surviving on well over a dozen covers. A small point of catalogue interest runs through the later marks HG 7, HG 8 and HG 9 — each struck with only one 'R' in '-chery'. Across sixteen markings the office records more than seventy years of posting under a French administration.
Frequently asked — Pondicherry postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Pondicherry?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Pondicherry are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Pondicherry post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Pondicherry was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 16 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1786 and 1862.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Pondicherry?
- 16 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Pondicherry in this census, of which 4 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 Pondicherry called today?
- Pondicherry is the colonial-era name of present-day Puducherry, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Pondichery, Pondichéry. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Pondicherry 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 Pondicherry 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 Pondicherry were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Pondicherry, Puducherry, Pondichéry, Pondichery, Pondicherry HG 1, Pondicherry handstruck stamps, Pondicherry pre stamp covers, Pondicherry postal history.
How to cite
“Pondicherry, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/pondicherry (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Pondicherry?
If you hold a cover or strike from Pondicherry 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.