Great Britain Philatelic Society

Hi Can anyone identify these "Stamps" They are printed on what appears to be handmade watermarked paper but the wmk is not clear I can only make out VR with a Crown above it on one of the victorian stamps Any help greatly appreciated
Thank you
Colin

They're known as "cypher labels" -- from 1701 revenue stamps were fixed to the document with a metal "staple", and these labels were stuck over the bits on the other side to prevent them catching. They continued in use as late as the George V period. See Chris Harman's display (sheets 7-9) for a bit more info and examples in situ:

https://www.gbps.org.uk/displays/revenue-stamps/sheet7.php

Thank you for the swift and very helpful reply
Colin Davies