Post office · Madras Presidency
TrichinopolyPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Trichinopoly postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 21 Trichinopoly handstamps recorded between 1788 and 1861, Madras Presidency, with 32 Trichinopoly covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 21
- Recorded
- 1788–1861
- Rare
- 4
Trichinopoly, headquarters of the District of the same name, Madras Presidency, is situated 10°49' N and 78°42' E on the right bank of the Cauvery River, 195 miles from Madras. Scene of frequent hostilities between the English and French during the Carnatic Wars. In 1781 the Nawab of the Carnatic assigned the revenues of the Carnatic, including Trichi,nopoly, to the East. India Company, but in 1792 the assignment was surrend.ered, although Trichinopoly continued to be commanded by the Company officers. In 1801 it was ceded to the Company, with the rest of the Carnatic, by the Nawab of Arcot.
Trichinopoly has 21 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1788–1861 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Trichinopoly handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG Add | Handstamp | Black | 1788–1790 | 2 examples recorded |
| HG 1B | Handstamp | Black | 1799 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1817–1831 | Scarce |
| HG 1A | Handstamp | Black | 1788–1790 | Rare |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1824–1827 | Scarce |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1825 | Common |
| HG 3a | Handstamp | Black | 1825 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Red | 1825–1829 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Red | 1833–1834 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1831–1834 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Red | 1836 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1845 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Black | 1839–1841 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1843 | Common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Red | 1846–1858 | Common |
| HG 12 | Handstamp | Black | 1853 | Common |
| HG 13 | Handstamp | Red | 1845–1850 | Common |
| HG 13A | Handstamp | Red | 1848–1852 | Common |
| HG 14 | Handstamp | Red | 1837–1861 | Common |
| HG 15 | Handstamp | Black | 1851–1858 | Common |
| HG 16 | Handstamp | BlackBlue | 1848–1857 | Common |
Trichinopoly— postal history & markings
Trichinopoly's twenty-one handstamps span 1788 to 1861, opening with a group of rare early marks — HG Add and HG 1A, both of 1788, and HG 1B of 1799, each known from only one or two strikes. A collector's chief delight here is the spelling: because the town's name carries two letter 'o's, several dies differ only in how they render them — HG 8 and HG 9 show only one, while HG 11 and HG 12 restore both.
The office split its later work between black and red across roughly equal numbers of marks, and small die details separate otherwise similar strikes, such as HG 4's 'POSTPAID' set as a single word. These fine distinctions — a missing letter, a joined word, a re-dated die — are exactly the kind of evidence that lets a Carnatic-town cover be placed precisely, and they make Trichinopoly a more intricate study than its modest size suggests.
Frequently asked — Trichinopoly postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Trichinopoly?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Trichinopoly are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Trichinopoly post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Trichinopoly was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 21 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1788 and 1861.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Trichinopoly?
- 21 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Trichinopoly 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 Trichinopoly called today?
- Trichinopoly is the colonial-era name of present-day Tiruchirappalli, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Tiruchirapalli, Trichy, Trichinopoli. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Trichinopoly 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 Trichinopoly 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 Trichinopoly were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Trichinopoly, Tiruchirappalli, Trichy, Tiruchirapalli, Trichinopoly HG 1, Trichinopoly handstruck stamps, Trichinopoly pre stamp covers, Trichinopoly postal history.
How to cite
“Trichinopoly, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/trichinopoly (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Trichinopoly?
If you hold a cover or strike from Trichinopoly 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.