96 The Dumfries Post Office, 1642-1910. 



arrival have been added. Thus the specimen shown in Fig. 5 

 taken from a letter posted at the Castle Street P.P.O.^^ Edin- 

 burgh, on the 13th July, 1821, tells us that the letter reached 

 Dumfries on the morning (M.) of the 14th July, 1821. In this 

 case also the mileage differs from that given on the earlier 

 postmarks. Another marking of a similar character (Fig. 6), in 

 use during the years 1825 and 1826, has no index letter to indicate 

 the time of arrival at the Dumfries office. 



In 1830 the mileage and route marks gradually disappeared 

 and a new mark (Fig. 7) was brought into use. Some specimens 

 of this postmark bear an index letter " N." Others again (Fig. 8) 

 have no index letter. In 1834 the first circular stamp of type 

 shown in Fig. 9 was introduced. 



In 1838 a question arose as to the supply of a more uniform 

 type of stamps for use in Scottish post offices. " Previous to this 

 date," says Hendy, " postmasters in many instances supplied 

 their own stamps. It was now decided that these officials should 

 be supplied from London with steel instead of brass stamps." 

 Postmarks as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 then came into use at 

 the Dumfries Office. In addition to these marks several others 

 were in use at this period for special purposes. Thus Figs. 12 

 and 13 represent the marks endorsed on correspondence delivered 

 through the medium of the local penny post, i.e., to Crocket- 

 ford, Dunscore, Maxwelltown, or Newabbey, at the additional 

 cost of Id. Again Fig. 14, taken from a letter of date 22nd 

 September, 1837, shows the marking in use to denote that the 

 postage was prepaid. Another type of the "paid stamp," intro- 

 duced at a later date, is shown in Fig. 15. Fig. 16 represents the 

 mark used to denote that the letter had been missent and was 

 therefore exempt from a second postage. 



In the year 1813 an Act of Parliament was passed repealing, 

 as far as Scotland was concerned, exemption from toll in the case 

 of mail coaches with more than two wheels. The same Act, in 

 order to indemnify the Post Office for the loss it would sustain, 

 imposed an additional postage of ^d upon every letter conveyed 

 by mail coach in Scotland. Figs. 17 to 21 represent " additional 

 halfpenny " marks used at different dates in the Edinburgh Office 



48. Penny Post Office. 



