On the shoulders of others....
Harriet E Colvile 1906
(author of "My Grandmother's album" )
Bermuda,
or more properly the Bermudas,
a group of about 365 small islands in the North Atlantic, was discovered at the beginning of the 16th century by
Juan Bermudez, a Spaniard. They are sometimes called " Somers Islands," after the Dorsetshire Admiral, Sir
George Somers, who was shipwrecked here on his way to Virginia in 1609. He died the following year, and,
although his body was embalmed and sent to England, his heart was interred in Bermudian soil, where the town of
St. George now stands.
Andrew Marvell, Waller and Moore each celebrated in song—
"These leavy isles upon the ocean thrown",
which have now formed a British Colony for nearly three centuries, and have become a favourite winter resort for
Americans.
Bermuda postage stamps date from 1865
(excepting the rough circular hand-stamps of 1848, issued and initialled by W. B. Perot, Postmaster of Hamilton).
Until a picture of the new floating dock appeared as the centre of three values in 1902-4,
they all bore the profile
head of Queen Victoria variously framed. The first issue, 1863-1880, has the watermark Crown and C.C., and of
this the 6d., mauve, appears to be still current. The 3d., yellow, was called into use in 1873 by the then postal rate
between Bermuda and British North America, and the stock being exhausted in less than a year, the 1d. and 1s.
values were obliquely surcharged three pence in fancy and Roman capitals.* Another provisional was made in 1875
by the overprint " One Penny " on three values. The 1/2d. and 4d. values were the last issued (1880) before the
appearance of the new Crown and C.A. paper in 1884.
This last series was concluded in 1893, or perhaps, more correctly, in 1904 (!) since the 4d. was only added in that
year.
The " ONE FARTHING," surcharged on the shilling type printed in grey, was introduced in 1901 for franking
newspapers in the colony.
* These surcharges have been extensively imitated,
Posted 03/20/2008 1:18 pm
New stamps feature the record album covers of entertainers who helped put Bermuda on the map in the 1950s and 60s.
