SHOW MENU

Search Post Offices in the United Kingdom – Terminology

The following terms and abbreviations are used in the listings:

Term Meaning Term Meaning
B.O. Branch Office cds Circular Date Stamp
CFPO Company Franchise Post Office CSO Community Sub-Office
D/C Double Circle cancel DO Delivery Office or District Office in London
FC / FCP Fifth Clause post FPO Franchise Post Office - similar to MSPOs, usually in large stores like WHSmith/Co-op
Gaz Post Office Gazette, a weekly newsletter for PO staff, with updated info, which superseded the Post Office Circulars from 1969. HO Head Office
LSO Letter Sorting Office M.O. Money Order office
MO-SB Money Order - Savings Bank office MSPO Modified Scale Payment Office: downgraded Branch Offices, where the staff are no longer directly employed by The Post Office
POC Post Office Circular, a precursor to the Post Office Gazette POL,
PO Local
Post Office in a local shop (open in shop's opening hours)
PO/UK Post Offices in the United Kingdom POST
TOWN
Names of post towns (i.e. towns via which mail is/was routed) appear in CAPITALS
PP Penny Post RH Receiving House
RSO Railway Sub-Office rubber Climax rubber handstamp issued
rural Rural sub-office SAS Serve and Store
S.B. Savings Bank office SID Self-inking datestamp
SO Sub-Office SPSO Scale Payment Sub Office
s/r Single ring datestamp SSO Salaried Sub-Office, ie. a Crown Office that is not a Head Office
tc Temporarily closed T.O. Telegraph Office (with the unique 3-letter telegraph code shown)
TRO Town Receiving Office TSO Town Sub-Office
UDC Undated Circular handstamp issued (indicator of when a rural Post Office may have opened) VH Village Hall

Notes:
References such as "No.18" or "No.D80" are to numeral/duplex cancellers or handstamps issued.
If a place is now geographically in another county, that appears in brackets: eg (Ox) = Oxfordshire.