1834 GB Pre Stamp Wrapper

Finally got myself Willcocks and Jay catalogues, I've been looking through and identifying some of the many pre stamp covers I have and then happened on this one,

it denotes Earl Grey Runner , the cover is dated a month after Prime Minister Grey Resigned, but the cover doesnt make sense to me, dated 18th Aug and using a private runner it then entered the GPO on the 20th if the 8 0'clock is a London Mark? and hand stamped 1, I can find no references to an Earl grey Runner even using ai deep search, can any one shed some light, thanks

Hi ash38,

The 8 o'clock marking was applied at the Westminster Office.

Sorry I can't be of more help with your other queries

Thanks Bobby, that makes sense, heres my best guess (im probably far off) Earl grey and his government enlisted the use of a private runner during his tenure to hand deliver sensitive letters and documents bypassing the gpo and 2d post maybe through fear of them falling into the wrong hands, the reason I havent found any mention of it is because the items never entered the system, as this is a month after Earl Greys resignation either the runner failed to deliver or was by then no longer in employment the sender resorted to using the gpo?

Correction: the 8 o'clock marking cannot be from Westminster as the office closed in July 1834.

The 1 handstamp has been bugging me as it cannot be a London marking.

So, where is Albany Street?

I had a dig around and it's in Edinburgh

Or, a Scottish resident of the Edinburgh Albany Street;

https://sites.google.com/site/alban...er-residents

I guess I was way off, thanks for the replies, still not sure where the earl grey runner comes into it, unless im reafing it wrong

Name under the date might be McGraw.

Earl Grey Street in Edinburgh was named in 1834 after the eponymous tea drinker visited the city.

What reason do you have to discard Albany Street in London that was laid out in the 1820s, shortly after that in Edinburgh? In 1834, it seems Edward Lear lived at 61 Albany Street, London.

As per the link provided by Flightle_Bee, Mr. Patrick Ws, indeed, could have been William Patrick Ws. of 32 Albany Street, Edinburgh.

The postmarks


I did after all say this:




The WS means Writer of the Signet

1d due on deliverysince the "1" is in black.

What I cant seem to understand is the runner part and the dates, so the letter was intended to be delivered by private courier and then ended up in the gpo for some reason,?

Correct.






ash38, the cover never went anywhere near London. It is an Edinburgh penny post letter, with the postage paid for by the recipient.

I believe the word is "dinner", written carelessly, not "runner".

A public dinner with speeches celebrating Earl Grey's visit took place on 15th September 1834, so this may be part of correspondence preparing for it. "18 / 20 August 1834, J McGraw, Earl Grey's dinner" looks like a note added to the wrapper by the recipient.

So that's why the handwriting's different (only just noticed, myself).

Stonner kebabs washed down with Buckie m'lord.

Some impressive detective work on this thread - excellent.