Post office · Madras Presidency
TranquebarPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Tranquebar postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 9 Tranquebar handstamps recorded between 1800 and 1858, Madras Presidency, with 34 Tranquebar covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 9
- Recorded
- 1800–1858
- Rare
- 3
Tranquebar is a town and a port in Tanjore District, Madras Presidency, 18 miles north of Negapatam, situated 11°2' N and 79°52' E. It was a Danish settlement with fort built in 1620. It was taken by the East India Company in 1801, but restored to Denmark in 1814. It was finally purchased by the British in 1845.
Tranquebar has 9 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1800–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Tranquebar handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1800–1829 | Rare |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Red | 1822–1823 | Common |
| HG 2A | Handstamp | — | 1811 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Red | 1831–1837 | Scarce |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1849 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1843 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Red | 1850–1858 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1852–1856 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1848 | 1 example recorded |
Tranquebar— postal history & markings
Tranquebar's record carries a colonial twist: the town was a Danish settlement, its fort built in 1620, taken by the East India Company in 1801, restored to Denmark in 1814 and only later purchased by the British. Its nine marks run from 1800 to 1858 in an even split of black and red.
The collector's prize here is HG 2A of 1811 — a 'POST PAID / Tranquebar' handstamp unrecorded in Giles and known from a single strike — while the opening HG 1 of 1800 survives from three. For a small Danish-Indian port on the Tanjore coast, Tranquebar leaves a genuinely early record, and its unlisted handstamp is exactly the kind of discovery an open census exists to capture.
Frequently asked — Tranquebar postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Tranquebar?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Tranquebar are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Tranquebar post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Tranquebar was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 9 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1800 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Tranquebar?
- 9 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Tranquebar in this census, of which 3 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 Tranquebar called today?
- Tranquebar is the colonial-era name of present-day Tharangambadi, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Tranquebar 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 Tranquebar 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 Tranquebar were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Tranquebar, Tharangambadi, Tranquebar HG 1, Tranquebar handstruck stamps, Tranquebar pre stamp covers, Tranquebar postal history.
How to cite
“Tranquebar, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/tranquebar (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Tranquebar?
If you hold a cover or strike from Tranquebar 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.