The Fletcher Collection is Hugh Greenwell Fletcher's lifetime
philatelic
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...
collection of British postage stamps and
British stamps used abroad including overprints and non-stamp items such as postal stationery. On his death in 1968 (aged 86), the collection was bequeathed to the
Bruce Castle Museum in
Tottenham
Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
, once the home of
Sir Rowland Hill. The collection was donated to the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
in 1989.
Description
Half of the collection is of
pre-adhesive material. There is a 1682 letter carried by the
William Dockwra
William Dockwra () was an English merchant who along with his partner Robert Murray (financier), Robert Murray created the first London Penny Post, Penny Post in London in 1680. In latter 17th century London there was no official postal system ...
's original
London Penny Post
The London Penny Post was a premier Postal administration, postal system whose function was to deliver mail within London and its immediate suburbs for the modest sum of one penny. The Penny Post was established in 1680 by William Dockwra and h ...
, and a study of the handstamps once the government took over the service. The collection includes a group of early 19th century 5th Clause Posts.
[An Act of Parliament in April 1801 meant that all postage rates were increased, the 5th Clause allowed the Postmaster General to collect and deliver letters to and from towns and villages surrounding a Post Town at such charges as were agreed with the inhabitants. ] The uniform rates include seventy-three examples of the
1839–1840 handstruck 4d. (including used on 5 December 1839, the first day of the new rate, from Dublin, Edinburgh, and Glasgow), and during the subsequent period of the
uniform one penny rate with rare private prepaid envelopes printed by Baraclough in brown (illustrated), and by Buchanan in blue.
[
The remaining collection includes a wide range of stamps (mainly used), with plate reconstructions throughout the ]Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
period – including each of the plates of the 1840 penny black. Postal stationery
A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or Newspaper wrapper, wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage ...
is included with complete uncut sheets of Mulready 1d and 2d (envelopes and lettersheets of each value). There is a Mulready 1d lettersheet
In philatelic terminology a letter sheet, often written lettersheet, is a sheet of paper that can be folded, usually sealed (most often with sealing wax in the 18th and 19th centuries), and mailed without the use of an envelope, or it can also ...
used on 2 May 1840, that were first sold on 1 May 1840. Later issues include embossed envelopes with advertising rings.[
The stamps of Great Britain used abroad include covers showing mixed issue ]franking
Franking comprises all devices, markings, or combinations thereof ("franks") applied to mails of any class which qualifies them to be postally serviced. Types of franks include postage stamps (both adhesive and printed on postal stationery, whethe ...
s from Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island.
The islands of St ...
, Nicaragua, and Beirut.[
As of January 2008, the collection was held in 341 black boxes.][Martin, Jeremy, & John Powell. (2010) ''West Africa in the British Library Philatelic Collections''. Dronfield: West Africa Study Circle. p. 125. ]
See also
* British Library Philatelic Collection
*William Dockwra
William Dockwra () was an English merchant who along with his partner Robert Murray (financier), Robert Murray created the first London Penny Post, Penny Post in London in 1680. In latter 17th century London there was no official postal system ...
References
{{British Library Named Collections
British Library Philatelic Collections
Philately of the United Kingdom