Post office · North Western Provinces
MerutPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Merut postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 18 Merut handstamps recorded between 1809 and 1854, North Western Provinces, with 89 Merut covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 18
- Recorded
- 1809–1854
- Rare
- 2
Merut City, a military cantonment and administrative headquarters of Merut District, United Provinces, is situated 29°1' N and 77°43' E, 970 miles from Calcutta, and 931 from Bombay. The cantonments were established in 1806. Merut obtained the unenviable notoriety in 1857 ' as the spot where the Mutiny broke out in Upper India.
Merut has 18 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1809–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Merut 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 | 1809–1827 | 2 examples recorded |
| HG 1A | Handstamp | Red | 1827 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | RedBlack | 1814–1828 | Common |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1831–1837 | Common |
| HG 3A | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1827–1832 | Common |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1835–1837 | Scarce |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Red | 1837–1845 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1839–1843 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Red | 1843–1851 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1840–1843 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Black | 1843–1845 | Scarce |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1841–1852 | Common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Red | 1845–1851 | Common |
| HG 11a | Handstamp | Black | 1848–1849 | Common |
| HG 12 | Handstamp | Red | 1848–1851 | Scarce |
| HG 13 | Handstamp | Red | 1851 | Common |
| HG 14 | Handstamp | Red | 1853–1854 | Common |
| HG 15 | Handstamp | BlackGreen | 1852–1854 | Common |
Merut— postal history & markings
Merut's eighteen handstamps span 1809 to 1854 and are split evenly between black and red. HG 1 of 1809 is known from two examples; HG 2, in red from 1814, is common. Small die details separate the later strikes — HG 3's second setting drops the full stop after MERUT — and HG 12 marks the handover of the post from military to civil control.
Cantonments were established here in 1806, and the town is remembered as the place where the events of 1857 first broke out in Upper India, the year before this record closes. The marks themselves are a working cantonment's output: a handful of scarce strikes among a run of common ones, with the colour split and the setting varieties giving the specialist enough to sort by.
Frequently asked — Merut postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Merut?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Merut are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Merut post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Merut was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 18 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1809 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Merut?
- 18 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Merut 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 Merut called today?
- Merut is the colonial-era name of present-day Meerut, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Merut 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 Merut 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 Merut were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Merut, Meerut, Merut HG 1, Merut handstruck stamps, Merut pre stamp covers, Merut postal history.
How to cite
“Merut, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/merut (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Merut?
If you hold a cover or strike from Merut 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 North Western Provinces
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other North Western Provinces post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.