Can Anyone Identify The Origin Of This Ship Piece?

Can anyone identify the origin of this ship piece? I note the foreign writing at the bottom left, perhaps someone can id the writing? Help appreciated

Duncan

It looks like Arabic, but I think it's actually a date.

Geoff

Thanks Geoff I had thought so to but wasn't sure if it was Arabic, any thoughts on what part of the world this was mailed from? Is the black oval postmark saying NIGHT?

I read the lastt three letters as RUT!

The writing at the bottom bottom might be Arabic script, but it's upside down? Can you post a rotated scan so someone who speaks Arabic can comment?

Looks like Meerut, spelt Merut here.

I agree that it appears to be from India, which makes sense given the substantial British presence in India at that time and the need for regular communications and substantial mails between them and Britain.

Hi folks here is the writing the other way around as requested. So we think its Meerut India?

Just woke up here in a cold Sydney ok the black oval postmark is Merut, thanks for spotting that

You're just waking up, but I'm rubbing my eyes. That looks like an N to me, not an M.
But that's ok, because Nerut is still in India. State of Behar, District of Nalanda.

ok thanks for the correction will use Nerut (a place I never heard of). Its now 9.21am here

Very interesting letter!

This postmark:



was put at the General Post Office of London.

You can see it in a better shape:


I think your is something like:
DE (27) 814 with code C (range from A to C)


This postmark:



was put at the Twopenny Post Chief Office (month before day)

You can see it in a better shape:


The time was 10FNn (Forenoon so 10am).


This postmark:


was put at the Twopenny Post Westminster Office (day before month)

You can see it in a better shape:


The time was 12Nn (Noon so 12pm).

Now you may ask ... why postmarks from both twopenny post offices ?

Because, at least this is my guess, the letter had to be sent to St George Row, near the chief office.

But then it was sent to Bryanstone (Portman square) so near the Westminster office.

I cannot explain the charge of 10d.

The incoming ship letter charge was 6d, it changed to 8d on July 1815.

To send a letter within the Town Area of London the charge was 2d.

The charge from General Post to Town Area was free.

Hi aryeh I think your right on the two time cancels. Re the 10d did it have to go inland in India first before it got to the ship that could be one reason why no?

Hi, I didn't think of that!

Also that could explain the 3d on the left that has been cancelled.

So 3d (inland India ?) + 6d (incoming ship letter), we need one more 1d.

Anyway I think the letter is very interesting also because the 6d for incoming ship letters was valid only for a brief period, October 1814 - July 1815.

The origin of this 1814 stampless letter is Merath (28.9833°N 77.7°E), now in Merath district of Uttar Pradesh.



And this is the Merath Pt. Pd. (Post Paid) oval dispatch mark [Giles 3 (U15)/Lowe 223] of Merath PO (est. 1800 but its first postmark is recorded from 1809) which is recorded being used from 1814 to 1837 in black.

What has happened here is the superimposition of the vertical stroke of 4 of the numeral 814 of the London mark over the left diagonal stroke of M of the tripartite Merath postmark.

Here is the complete Merath Pt. Pd. oval black dispatch mark (Giles 3/Lowe 223) on a 1827 Merath letter which was auctioned as lot 152 of India Postal History The Soli F Contractor Collection in Spink Auction#1217 on December 16,1999 by Spink and Son Limited, London, England.



The vagaries of Anglicized corrupted Indian toponyms resulted different spellings of same placename.

The use of single 'E' in the Anglicized version of Merath was prevalent before 1837.
The use of double 'E' for Merath is first recorded in the List of Post Offices in B Presidency in 1837 but its first use in postmarks is recorded by Giles much later in 1845 in Merath Overland Giles U59/Lowe 398 octagonal red transit mark.



This is Giles CG6/Lowe 263 red receipt cds of Kolkata GPO (est. April 1,1774) which was in use in 1808–15.
Incidentally, the cds only had the year digits 180 during its entire life of existence. The last digit/last 2 digits after 1810 were entered in manuscript, though here no year was written which was quite common practice.

References:
1. Handstruck Postage Stamps of India.
Derek Hammond Giles.
The Philatelic Society of India, Mumbai 1960
Appendix M: Governmenet Gazette Advertisement General Post Office March 12,1816; p.127
Catalog of Handstruck Postage Stamps of India
1(a)(iii) Kolkata General Post Office; p.177
1(c) The Upper and North West Provinces; p.198

2. Catalog of Handstruck Postage Stamps of India.
Derek Hammond Giles.
Christie's-Robson Lowe, Bournemouth, England 1989
Chapter VIII: Alphabetical Catalog of Post Offices

aryeh wrote:



The Merath Pt. Pd. (Post Paid) Giles 3 mark was used only when inland postage was fully prepaid.

The inland postage from Merath to Kolkata was 1R1A from June 1,1808 vide Postal Notice dt. May 1,1808 issued by JH d'Oyly, Postmaster General, B Circle (1807–10), the rate in effect till December 31,1829.

The ship postage from Kolkata to England from June 1,1808 to July 10,1815 was as follows.

2A for weight upto 11.64gm (1 Sikka)
4A for weight between 11.64gm (1 Sikka) and 23.28gm (2 Sikka)
8A for weight between 23.28gm (2 Sikka) and 46.56gm (4 Sikka)
1 Sikka R for weight between 46.56gm (4 Sikka) and 93.12gm (8 Sikka)

References:
1. India–UK Mails.
CNM Blair.
India Study Circle for Philately, , England 1973
Appendix A: Maritime Postal Rates
Section 1 Part A: Indian Maritime Rates Prior to 1816; p.57

2. The Imperial Post Offices of British India 1837 1914 (Volume I).
Mohinilal Majumdar.
Philatelia, Kolkata 1990
Appendix A
24: Postal Notice Issued by Kolkata GPO on May 1,1808; p.342
27: Notification Issued by General Post Office, by Order of the Government, JH d'Oyly, PMG on July 10,1809 on Ship Postage for Europe Letters; p.347