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Suffolk Postal History

Introduction

This display from Tom Slemons FRPSL covers the postmarks of Suffolk, rate markings, mail routes, and persons and places related to the postal history of the county up to the Uniform Penny Postage era.

For many years, Tom, who is from middle America, lived and worked in the county and, obviously, has a great attachment resulting in a wide ranging postal history collection.

Suffolk is one of the most difficult of counties to collect, and this is the definitive and thoroughly researched collection of this subject.

The collection is the basis of the book Suffolk Postal History to 1844, published by the Rossiter Trust in 2017.

This virtual display is organised in 3x4 frames as for the original display.

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Frame 1

The Earliest Postmarks - Straight-Line Town Names 1705-1836
  1. Beccles
  2. Beccles and Bungay
  3. Boxford
  4. Brandon
  5. Brandon
  6. Coddenham and Halesworth
  7. Haverhill and Nayland
  8. Ipswich
  9. Ipswich and Melton
  10. Lavenham and Thwaite
  11. Woodbridge
  12. Woodbridge
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Frame 2

The Earliest Postmarks - Straight-Line Town Names 1705-1836 (cont)
  1. Yoxford
The Earliest Postmarks - Split Town Names 1729-1794
  1. Bury St Edmunds and Halesworth
  2. Ipswich and Lowestoft
  3. Needham and Sudbury
  4. Newmarket
  5. Newmarket
  6. Saxmundham
  7. Wangford and Wickham Market
  8. Woodbridge
The Earliest Postmarks - Partial Name 1733-1809
  1. Bury St Edmunds
  2. Bury St Edmunds and Needham Market
  3. Stowmarket
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Frame 3

Curved Town Names 1792-1800
  1. Brandon and Bury St Edmunds
  2. Bury St Edmunds
  3. Melton and Newmarket
  4. Sudbury and Yoxford
Mileage Postmarks - The First, Mileage Before Town Name 1784-1789
  1. Bungay and Bury St Edmunds
  2. Kessingland and Lowestoft
  3. Newmarket and Saxmundham
Mileage Postmarks - The Second, Mileage Boxed Below Town Name 1801-1831
  1. Beccles and Brandon
  2. Bungay and Bury St Edmunds
  3. Coddenham and Eye
  4. Framlingham and Lowestoft
  5. Hadleigh
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Frame 4

Mileage Postmarks - The Second, Mileage Boxed Below Town Name 1801-1831 (cont)
  1. Nayland and Orford
  2. Southwold and Thwaite
  3. Woodbrige and Wrentham
Mileage Postmarks - Mileage in Horseshoes and CDSs 1824-1827
  1. Halesworth and Ipswich
  2. Newmarket
Ship Letter Marks 1807-1816
  1. Aldeburgh
  2. Lowestoft and Southwold
Mileage Postmarks - Lines Above and Below Mileage, Below Town Name 1804-1840
  1. Bury St Edmunds
  2. Bungay and Halesworth
  3. Eye
  4. Needham Market and Stowmarket
  5. Newmarket
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Frame 5

Mileage Postmarks - Lines Above and Below Mileage, Below Town Name 1804-1840 (cont)
  1. Saxmundham
  2. Sudbury
  3. Wangford
Mileage Postmarks - Line Above Mileage, Below Town Name 1808-1841
  1. Bury St Edmunds
  2. Newmarket and Orford
  3. Sudbury
Mileage Postmarks - Mileage Without Lines, Below Town Name 1815-1827
  1. Eye and Hadleigh
Mileage Removed Postmarks - Straight Lined Mileage Marks 1827-1830
  1. Beccles and Brandon
  2. Bungay and Clare
  3. Mildenhall and Needham Market
Mileage Removed Postmarks - Horseshoes and CDSs 1829-1831
  1. Halesworth
  2. Newmarket
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Frame 6

Penny Posts - The First Marks 1733-1811
  1. Botesdale
  2. Brandon and Bury St Edmunds
  3. Bury St Edmunds
  4. Bildeston and Hadleigh
  5. Framlingham and Ipswich
  6. Ipswich
  7. Ipswich and Ixworth
  8. Newmarket
  9. Southwold
  10. Sudbury
  11. Orford and Wangford
The Final Penny Post Marks 1829-1838
  1. Ipswich
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Frame 7

The Final Penny Post Marks 1829-1838 (cont)
  1. Hadleigh and Sudbury
  2. Southwold and Woodbridge
  3. Wrentham
Receiving House Marks 1807-1834
  1. Walton and Trimley (Ipswich)
  2. Walton and Trimley (Ipswich) and Nayland (Colchester)
Undated Circular Postmarks - Small and Large 1828-1844
  1. Aldeburgh
  2. Beccles and Boxford
  3. Bures and Eye
  4. Debenham
  5. Hadleigh and Halesworth
  6. Haverhill and Ixworth
  7. Long Melford and Lowestoft
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Frame 8

Undated Circular Postmarks - Small and Large 1828-1844 (cont)
  1. Nayland and Stoneham
  2. Stowmarket and Woolpit
Circular Datestamps - Small 1827-1832
  1. Bury St Edmunds
  2. Bury St Edmunds
  3. Ipswich
  4. Ipswich
  5. Newmarket and Saxmundham
THE "SKELETON" CANCELS 1838-1843
  1. Halesworth and Ipswich
  2. Lowestoft and Stoneham
  3. Stowmarket and Wangford
Circular Datestamps - Large 1837-1843
  1. Aldeburgh
  2. Beccles and Bungay
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Frame 9

Circular Datestamps - Large 1837-1843 (cont)
  1. Bury St Edmunds and Eye
  2. Hadleigh and Halesworth
  3. Ipswich and Mildenhall
  4. Newmarket
  5. Sudbury and Stoneham
  6. Stowmarket
  7. Wangford
  8. Woodbridge
Unpaid Marks Prior to the Uniform Penny Post 1812-1837
  1. Hadleigh and Ipswich
Standard Mileage Rates Until December 5, 1839
  1. Standard Mileage Rates
  2. Standard Mileage Rates plus Additional Charges
  3. Penny Post and Local Rate
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Frame 10

Standard Mileage Rates Until December 5, 1839 (cont)
  1. The First Rate Concession, November 1837
  2. The Second Rate Concession, September 1838
The Uniform Four Penny Post - December 5, 1839 - January 9, 1840
  1. Only Record First Day Use in Suffolk
  2. Ipswich Handstamp and Manuscript
  3. Woodbridge Handstamp and Manuscript
  4. Only Recorded Cover at a 4d Rate Going Outside Great Britain [to Malta]
  5. Free Franks
The Uniform Penny Post - 1840-1844
  1. Introduction
  2. Pre-Stamp - First and Last Days
  3. Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds 1d Paid Marks
  4. Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, Ixworth and Newmarket 1d Paid Marks
  5. Ixworth 1d Paid Marks
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Frame 11

The Uniform Penny Post - 1840-1844 (cont)
  1. Ixworth and Newmarket 1d Paid Marks
  2. Ipswich Paid and Bungay Unpaid 2d Marks
  3. Ipswich and Woodbridge Unpaid 2d Marks
  4. Woodbridge Unpaid 2d and 4d Marks
  5. Unpaid Letters - Double Rate
  6. Mulready Letter Sheet and Envelope
  7. Prepaid in Cash (Bungay) and with Penny Black (Bury St Edmunds)
  8. Prepaid with Penny Blacks (Halesworth and Wangford)
  9. Mulready Letter Sheet and Second Series Envelope
Information Marks
  1. "Returned from Ipswich" and "Returned from Woodbridge"
  2. Ipswich "Too Late" and Stowmarket "Post Paid"
The 1844 Numeral Cancel
  1. Wangdord First Day and Bungay on Printed "Anti-Graham" Envelope