daniel
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Post by daniel on Mar 13, 2021 6:52:40 GMT
The Parliamentary (Free) Franking System dates back to the time of the Commonwealth in 1652 (and confirmed in 1654). However, it didn't apply to Ireland until a few years after the establishment, in 1784, of a separate Irish Post Office. Under the system members of The Houses of Parliament and office holders could post letters for free by simply using the word Free or Frank plus their signature and their seal. Later a hand-stamp was used stating the word FREE and later still with a date. Such letters became highly collectible in the early 19th century by cutting out the front panel and these are known as Free Fronts. The Free privilege continued up until 1840 with thee introduction of the penny post. This example from Dublin does not bear a Free handstamp, likely for a good reason, local post charges were not included in the privilege. Across the top, it reads Dublin May seven 1833. Deciphering the handwriting is key and although I can't read the name of the addressee, the address appears to be in Reading. Finally, we have the signature in the bottom left with his seal above in black with a coronet indicating a peer. After staring at the signature for some time it appeared to be the surname Hutchinson, and with members of both Houses of Parliament, it then becomes easy to find more information. So, Hutchinson was John Hely-Hutchinson, 1787-1851, who lived at Palmerston House, Dublin. He was an MP from 1826-1830 and 1831-1832 for Tipperary then inherited the title of Viscount Hutchinson in 1832 and was also Lord Lieutenant of Tipperary until his death in 1851. See this link for more info. The local post mark, vertical on the left, looks like CHAPEL 120/ PENNY POST but, turns out to be CHAPELIZOD/PENNY POST. Chapelizod is a village within Dublin City and is named after Iseult/Isolde from the legend of Tristan and Isolde. The Dublin Penny Post was introduced in 1773 for letters within the Great Circular Road of Dublin City. The Free Franking privilege would have applied to the rest of the journey to Reading. See this link for more info on the Dubin Penny Post,  Scan_20210313 by Daniel, on Flickr |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Mar 13, 2021 8:33:21 GMT
I read the addressee as Richard Bacon. Esq. etc etc. Reading
the “etc etc “ is used when the gentleman has some title or honours after his name but the sender choses not to list them (or maybe can’t remember them and the order in which they should be written )
it is unusual to have a wax signet on the front of the cover . It more often is used to seal the back
there are various Bacon families in Suffolk . Two different Baronets Bacon but neither is Richard in 1830s.
Nice cover which is a free post to Reading plus a 1d charge to take it to the Dublin head PO from the Chapel izod village office .
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daniel
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Post by daniel on Mar 13, 2021 21:18:55 GMT
Thanks, Alex vikingeck . I agree that it must have been a penny post rather than the extended two penny post and I have changed my post accordingly. Thanks also for deciphering the name and address, the Esq part threw me. It seems likely that Richard Bacon was just a collector of these Free Franks who wrote to the nobility requesting a signed letter. This seems to have been the way to collect these at the time. On the reverse of the above I also have this Free Front similarly addressed to Richard Bacon from Horatio Walpole, the Earl of Orford. So, they are from the same collection. Note that the seal was sometimes applied to the front as part of the Free Frank process.  Scan_20210313 (2) by Daniel, on Flickr I've changed my original post accordingly and added a couple of links. |
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Hugh
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What I collect: Worldwide Occupation Stamps and Postal History; and, anything that looks interesting.
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Post by Hugh on Aug 29, 2024 1:23:41 GMT
There doesn't seem to be a general thread for Irish Covers so I've posted this here. ... This appears to be a cover sent from Limerick to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands in 1854.  The receiving cancel (traces of purple-red ink underneath the stamp) is unreadable. Using digital filters, I can just make out the numeral '4' - possibly from 1854. There are other ink blotches on the cover that may be postmarks or just contact transfers during processing. The obliteration is in the form of a diamond. The number inside is unclear to say the least. When viewed upside down it looks like it may be 303 - which is the number assigned to Limerick. On the other side of the cover is a handwritten notation. It appears to be the name and location (Limerick) of the sender and the mailing date -- November 9, 1854. Under magnification the writing was done before the Limerick postmarks were applied. In other words, by the sender not the receiver. I can't confirm this as there is no letter. This cover is truly only a cover.  Based on the same purple-red ink colour, I assume that the two strikes of the double-arc Limerick postmark are copies of the receiving postmark which is washed out on the front. In which case, we have some evidence to confirm the information written on the back. That is, it was mailed in Limerick on November 9, 1854. There is another postmark. It has NO 10 / 1854 / A inside a single circle. I'm assuming it was applied during processing. The colour of the ink used for this postmark appears to be the same as the ink blobs in the centre of the front of the cover. This may confirm they are contact transfers from other mail being processed. The third cancel is a double-arc transit postmark, with green ink, from WICK ... dated November 13, 1854. Indicating that the cover travelled from the west coast of Ireland to the North-West coast of Scotland in 3-4 days. From here it would have traveled to the Orkney Islands. The final cancel, an arrival postmark, is also a double-arc cancel with green ink. It reads, KIRKWALL ... the largest town in the Orkeys. It is also dated November 13th. I love the range of ink colours on this cover. The stamp is a Die I, p16, red-brown, Penny Red from February, 1854 ... SG17. Observations, comments and corrections always welcome. |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Aug 29, 2024 9:56:25 GMT
Annabella Drever ( nee Chisholm) lived in Harbour street Kirkwall . She died in 1874 aged 76 from bronchitis and congestion of the lungs according to internet genealogy account. Drever is a name principally associated with Orkney it has Irish origins which could link back to the Viking era . There was considerable raiding and trading by longships between the two , 1000 years ago. There are Drever families in Orkney and across the water in Caithness. Wick is in Caithness on the NE coast ( not NW Hugh ) there are also Pottinger families in the area. I think however the Pottinger name is in a similar but different handwriting to the sender. A broader nib used , ink not quite so black, and the final “k” in Limerick differs from the one in “Kir k wall” I have always found it difficult when one mark over laps with another to distinguish what came first. I think the ink may be on top of the Limerick date stamp and the 9th refers to the date of writing the (missing) letter, So a receiver’s filing reference. Postal clerks in those days handled mail as soon as possible as they could be reprimanded or punished for delaying the mail. your red brown transit mark on the back is a main office “Paid” Handling mark . We often find similar on letters passing through London or Edinburgh . However as it is next day after the Limerick postmarks I wonder if it is Dublin? ( confirmation required) I really think the red smudges ,Just come from an untidy desk and have no postal significance. |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Aug 29, 2024 11:13:58 GMT
Footnote to above : Annabella Drever was a widow whose husband James died in 1840. James Drever was a Merchant Grocer on Harbour street Kirkwall so it may be his widow carried on the business at the same address.
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Hugh
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What I collect: Worldwide Occupation Stamps and Postal History; and, anything that looks interesting.
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Post by Hugh on Aug 29, 2024 11:22:29 GMT
Annabella Drever ( nee Chisholm) lived in Harbour street Kirkwall . She died in 1874 aged 76 from bronchitis and congestion of the lungs according to internet genealogy account. Drever is a name principally associated with Orkney it has Irish origins which could link back to the Viking era . There was considerable raiding and trading by longships between the two , 1000 years ago. There are Drever families in Orkney and across the water in Caithness. Wick is in Caithness on the NE coast ( not NW Hugh ) there are also Pottinger families in the area. I think however the Pottinger name is in a similar but different handwriting to the sender. A broader nib used , ink not quite so black, and the final “k” in Limerick differs from the one in “Kir k wall” I have always found it difficult when one mark over laps with another to distinguish what came first. I think the ink may be on top of the Limerick date stamp and the 9th refers to the date of writing the (missing) letter, So a receiver’s filing reference. Postal clerks in those days handled mail as soon as possible as they could be reprimanded or punished for delaying the mail. your red brown transit mark on the back is a main office “Paid” Handling mark . We often find similar on letters passing through London or Edinburgh . However as it is next day after the Limerick postmarks I wonder if it is Dublin? ( confirmation required) I really think the red smudges ,Just come from an untidy desk and have no postal significance. Thanks for your detailed feedback Alex ... much appreciated. I think you're right about the handwritten note. I shouldl have noticed the difference in ink and nib width. And, Dublin makes sense for the processing mark ... especially given the date. The NW? That was a typo (sigh). I knew it was in the NE … [Edit: Thanks Hugh] not enough proofreading before I sent it (smile). It was fun to work on this Irish / Scottish item ... I don't have many of them. I did get an 1845 Scottish cover recently and I'll post that one later today. Cheers, |
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Hugh
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What I collect: Worldwide Occupation Stamps and Postal History; and, anything that looks interesting.
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Post by Hugh on Aug 29, 2024 15:57:54 GMT
Footnote to above : Annabella Drever was a widow whose husband James died in 1840. James Drever was a Merchant Grocer on Harbour street Kirkwall so it may be his widow carried on the business at the same address. Thanks for the additional research. I've added it to my album notes. I keep most of the interesting covers on Hagner-style pages in an album with a note in front of them, like this:  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2024 23:54:57 GMT
Apologies if this is in the wrong place, I hope it can be moved if it is. The Irish postal strike lasted from February 18th to June 25th of 1979. It was brought on by postal workers low pay and their union demanding an increase in pay of 30%. During the strike, no post was delivered by the workers, causing huge disruptions across the country. The strike featured marches and protests, and eventually, violence, at the Coras Iompair Eireann fast track depot on Sheriff Street in Dublin, where a postal strikers picket line alledgedly began attacking cars to prevent them from entering, believing that the CIE had been secretly delivering parcels from the depot. One protestor was knocked unconcious by a member of An Garda Siochánna. The strike was brought to an end when the postal workers settled for a lower pay increase than they had originally demanded. (Source: Radio Telifis Eireann archives) Two stamp dealing companies, Lisburn & Townsend and The Belfast Stamp Co., started "emergency" mail services, transporting "stamps" from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland and England. The Irish government remained the sole legal postage sender in the Republic of Ireland, but transporting goods to be sold was not illegal, conveniently, the post of both stamp companies also happened to contain letters. There were also minor local posts in the larger Irish cities. (Source: Éire Philatelic Association)  |
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Sept 23, 2024 19:13:47 GMT
A "souvenir" from the recent Greater Houston Stamp Show,
I thought worth posting prior to listing. 
Ireland, 1976 domestic letter, mailed without postage. Refused. Opened to determine sender.
Resealed with an Irish bilingual OFFICIAL SEAL. Scarce I am told.
Assessed 26p postage due and returned. Return address on back doesn't match handwriting of address.
I can't read the boxed handstamp over the dues.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2024 9:53:56 GMT
One of my hobbies is antiques collecting. Occasionally, I will explore abandoned buildings in search of historical objects. About 2 years ago, I was on holiday in a town called Kenmare, in Kerry, staying at a farm house. The farm was extremely old, with very, very old buildings which I was eager to explore. I got permission from the owner to explore and keep anything I find. Amongst several interesting finds, old radios, 70 year old television, old travel clock etc. I found this postcard from the english occupation of Ireland, which was sent all the way to New York, cancelled at Sneem-Kenmare Railway Sub Office in 1909, and then made it's way back to Kenmare.  |
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