Post office · Madras Presidency
WallajahabadPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Wallajahabad postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 7 Wallajahabad handstamps recorded between 1800 and 1846, Madras Presidency, with 14 Wallajahabad covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 7
- Recorded
- 1800–1846
- Rare
- 2
Wallajahabad, a town in the Conjeeveram taluk of Chingleput District, Madras Presidency, on the left bank of the Palar river, situated 12°47' N and 79°50' E. It became a military cantonment about 1786, and for many years afterwards a European regiment, a regiment of Native cavalry, and two or three regiments of Native infantry were stationed here.
Wallajahabad has 7 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1800–1846 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Wallajahabad handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Wallajahabad— postal history & markings
Wallajahabad's seven handstamps, from 1800 to 1846, open with a genuine rarity: HG 1 of 1800 is known from only a handful of examples, and HG 2 is scarce too. The office worked in black and red across a modest run to 1846. A town on the Palar that became a military cantonment about 1786, Wallajahabad served a long-established garrison in Chingleput District. The later marks settle into common use, but that turn-of-the-century opener — among the earlier strikes recorded from the Madras Presidency — is what a collector of the region will seek.
Frequently asked — Wallajahabad postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Wallajahabad?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Wallajahabad are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Wallajahabad post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Wallajahabad was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 7 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1800 and 1846.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Wallajahabad?
- 7 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Wallajahabad 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 Wallajahabad called today?
- Wallajahabad is the colonial-era name of present-day Walajabad, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Wallajahabad 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 Wallajahabad 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 Wallajahabad were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Wallajahabad, Walajabad, Wallajahabad HG 1, Wallajahabad handstruck stamps, Wallajahabad pre stamp covers, Wallajahabad postal history.
How to cite
“Wallajahabad, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/wallajahabad (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Wallajahabad?
If you hold a cover or strike from Wallajahabad 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.