Too Late straight line

'Too Late'  postmarks.

This next section is of 'straight-line' Too Late stamps, which make up the majority of this type of mark in our collection. They are basically of two types, framed and unframed.

Shrewsbury to Northwich, June 10 1833.
The Shrewsbury office applied their datestamp, and the TOO LATE stamp. Shrewsbury used the same type of framed too late stamp for many years, and the frame size was altered over the years - this one measures 1-3/4" by 5/8". This is a very informative address panel of the letter. The manuscript '8' (to be paid by the addressee), indicates that the letter was to be carried for a distance of between 50 and 80 miles. It was addressed to Northwich, in Cheshire, but was sent to NANTWICH by mistake.

 

There they applied the faint red receiving stamp with the word 'Not' written beside it.

One of the absorbing aspects of collecting postal history is that sometimes a letter will have interesting contents as well as the interesting postal markings. This letter is one of those. The writer sounds very annoyed, and perhaps he dashed off the address without due care and attention, so that the post office in Shrewsbury mis-read the town as Nantwich, instead of Northwich. The transcription is exactly as the letter was written, with the odd spellings. ‘through’ for ‘throw’ for example.

Sir,
The reason that I did not answer your Letter before was that I called at my Attorney Mr Williams and his Managin Clerk promised me to write to you, he Mr W being in London and has not yet returned. I am very sorry to find that you are so hasty and determined to through my property away!! I am aware if you had known the dealins that I had with Hitchin and how I had taken to the debt when he was unable to bare it any longer and he sacrificed every word and honour as a Man and as a christian but I shall act my part as an honest Man as I ought to do to every person and I only BEG of you to bare with me a little as I am going to sell an Estate that I have in the Vale of Llangollen next month a place that will sell any time but I’m sorry to say that my property in Anglesea is not so saleable, but may do for my Residence in time to come if I am spared. As soon as Mr Williams is returned the Property will appear in the Papers and should be glad to have you a Buyer thereof. It is a place that may be called a fit residence for a Genteel Family with every connotation.
I pray that you will have the goodness to wait a little.
I remain
Your humble Servt
D? Hughes
Breginton(?) 8 June 1833

This name is hard to read and the only place I can see in the atlas within the Shrewsbury area that looks anything like it is Berrington.

Many TOO LATE stamps were long framed rectangles, applied in black in, two examples are shown below.

Totnes, 1835
Reading,1836

The smallest one in our collection is this

it measures only 7/8" x 3/8". The letter was posted from Hull to Birmingham in 1837. The cost of postage was 1/- (one shilling), which at that time was about what a labourer could earn for a day's pay. This may explain the contents of the letter.
"Gentlemen,
You may inform your clients that I will pay no more than I am indebted to them, the postage of letters I will not submit to pay, as they never post pay there letters to me,
Matthew Tate."

However, the majority of them are just the words 'TOO LATE' in a straight line, usually in black, but we have some applied in red ink. As can be seen by these illustrations the lettering varies in size.

Bristol 1825 size 1-3/8" x 1-1/4"

Exeter, 1830


Birmingham, 1830 in red as the letter was post paid.

circular

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