COV-2435
3 February 1846 Benares HG 12 Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Santosh MS
Date
3 February 1846
Description
1846 Benares – London overland entire via Bombay & Southampton route, with Benares Giles 12 "BENARES STA/1846 FEB 3/PAID" despatch handstamp, rate "6" (paid 6A as under ¼ tolah weight, single-letter rate paid to Bombay, as it travelled between 900–1100 miles; Benares–Bombay distance was 927 miles) & weight "½ Ounce" (indicating the single-letter rate for India–UK packet postage via Southampton). At Bombay, Giles SD6 "INDIA" port transit applied & sent to Aden via EIC regular steamer QUEEN, then to Suez via P&O steamer PRECURSOR, travelled overland to Alexandria & sent to Southampton via P&O steamer ORIENT, reached London via Southampton on 1st April, and there "LE/1 AP 1/1846" receipt mark applied. "1/" (1s single-letter bearing postage for India–UK packet postage) applied in manuscript, which was collected from the recipient.
Same office
Other recorded marks at Benares
18 marks18 other pre-1854 postal markings of Benares are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Benares HG 1handstampBlack1810–1820
- Benares HG 2handstampBlack1811
- Benares HG 3handstampBlack1824–1836
- Benares HG 4handstampBlack1827-35
- Benares HG 5handstampBlack1829
- Benares HG 6handstampBlack1832–1835
- Benares HG 7handstampRed1838–1853
- Benares HG 8handstampBlack1839–1852
- Benares HG 9handstampRed1839-45
- Benares HG 10handstampRed1839
- Benares HG 11handstampBlack1850–1856
- Benares HG 13handstampBlack1847-53
- Benares HG 14handstampRed1844
- Benares HG 15handstampBlack1847–1852
- Benares HG 16handstampBlack1845–1851
- Benares HG 17handstampRed1854
- Benares HG 18handstampBlack1851–1854
- Benares MN 1manuscript1808
About this record
This 3 February 1846 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Benares HG 12 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 6 surviving covers with this mark recorded.