Scottish Postmark 1842

This postmark is on a cover posted from Edinburgh on 14 April 1842. I would like to know what the letters "CE" on either side of the "14" represent.

Can anyone help me with this? I've googled for hours.......

Carstairs and Edin Sorting tender
Edinburgh.

(Subject to confirmation)
If you wish, I can send it to Eunice Shanahan.

That doesn't seem to fit Rod, as the cover was sent to Falkirk.

If you think Eunice could help, I'd be much obliged!

Sure, is it much trouble to have a scan of the cover
and any back-stamps? it may be helpful.
Cannot guarantee, but Eunice has always been helpful
in the past, a terrific lady.


Just curious as to why it does not fit? admittedly that is just a guess on my part, but could it be a TPO mark going south
to Falkirk from Edinburgh?

No problem at all.

Front



Falkirk receiving stamp (nice invert in the date) The bottom of the Edinburgh postmark can be seen at the top.

Hi jubilee,

I'm afraid I can't help you interpret the CE letters but I thought you might be interested to know that the letter was sent to the solicitors Russel and Aitken in Falkirk and that Russel & Aitken LLP are now a large solcitors and estate agents partnership still with their registered office in Falkirk.

The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway started service in 1842 so I suppose the cover could possibly have travelled on a train but given the date I'd need a lot of convincing that the mark in question is railway-related.

From our friend Eunice:

Hello Rodney

The letters on the right are time-code letters e.g. M = Morning and E = evening

those normally found on the left are connected with the surnames of the office letter-stampers.

The square/rectangular strike is the LATE FEE of Falkirk - I think that was still in use in 1842.
This is outside my area of expertise, because we are mostly pre-1840 - but that's what it looks like from checking on my reference books

For a small group, we (and by "we" I mean "you") sure can come up with the info.

Nice effort, gentlemen. (and Eunice, though I don't know who Eunice is...)

Fantastic info, thanks to Rod an Eunice. (Eunice writes a column in Stamp News BTW). So, posted on the evening of April 14, and delivered in Falkirk the next day. Falkirk have charged a late fee, although there are no further ancillary markings.

I'm wiser than I was before I went to bed yesterday!

Nice words Collin,
I had a bit of a clanger there, though
I was a bit ambitious having a TPO in 1842!
Darned difficult finding info on Scottish Rail I found.

Eunice's web site is here Collin:
http://www.victorianweb.org/misc/shanahan.html

(bottom of page, click on "letters from the past")

She investigates all pre 1840 entires and explains and
types out the letters.
I am a big fan of hers.

Hi Nigel. Thanks for that info and for going to the trouble of posting it . I was aware of Russel & Aitken however, as I'm putting together an exhibit on this entire and the letter it contains.

It is interesting to add the times of the mail from Edinburgh to Falkirk, they help to appreciate the "E" time code.

Box Closes at 10:00am, Letters taken on paying one extra penny till 10:10am, Departure of Mail at 10:40am, by Railroad

Box Closes at 8:45pm, Letters taken on paying one extra penny till 9:15pm, Departure of Mail at 9:30pm, by Mailcoach

The two routes can be seen here:


The Evening time-code tells us that the letter was sent with the second mail.

Now it is clear why the arrival date of the Falkirk postmark was on the next day.

If the letter was posted very late at Edinburgh the extra penny had to be paid by cash and we should see this postmark on the front of the letter:


But your letter was posted on time.

About the "C" stamper id I can only add that on June 1842 there were 8 stampers at the GPO of Edinburgh.

Their names, taken from Parliamentary Papers, were:


p.s.
James Sloan wrote a letter on November 1841 complaining that the salary as letter-carrier was £67 etc and as stamper it was £54 etc !

aryeh very interesting commentary!