Query on Irish charge marks

Rates in general and questions on particular covers.
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earsathome
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:00 pm

Query on Irish charge marks

Post by earsathome »

We have a query re charges on mail from Co. Cork in Ireland to Alnwick
Northumberland, 1813-1814 .
All five letters were written by General L.S. Orde who was stationed in
Fermoy in Co. Cork, Ireland and all written to the solicitor Robert Thorp
of Alnwick Northumberland.

They all have the post mark the Irish mileage mark of a two-line FERMOY
108

They all have charge marks, (which have been amended in every case) - none
of them have post marks to show when they were received in Alnwick.

The first one (29 Dec 1813), was charged initially at 10 pence, but this was
crossed out and amended to 2/1d. It also has an Irish 'harp' cancellation
in red, but is faint and is quite hard to read, but looks like DEC 20 1813
and is the type which would have been applied in Dublin.

The second letter(11 Jany 1814) is the same, with the 10d being amended to
2/- this time, but has no Dublin postmark . It is signed and underlined at
the bottom left of the address panel as though it would be a FREE mailing
but the signature is clearly L.S. Orde and then a squiggle which is
illegible and has been repeated on the back of the letter by the clerk who
received it.

The third letter is dated 25 Jany 1814 and like the previous letter has the
FERMOY mileage mark, the 10d charge crossed out and replaced with 2/-, but
it has the Dublin mark 28 JA 28 1814.

I would have thought that by this time that there would have been some
contact between FERMOY and Dublin so that the correct rate was being applied
at FERMOY. However, as the addressee would have had to pay the final result
I don't suppose it matters!


The fourth letter 25th March 1814, no Dublin postmark just the Fermoy
mileage mark and the 10d amended again this time to 1/11


The fifth letter is dated April 18th 1814.

The 10 pence has been crossed out and replaced with 2/1 and it has the
FERMOY mileage mark but no Dublin post mark.

It all seems rather odd that the charges should vary from 1/11 to 2/1. Has
anyone any suggestions as to why this would be? It looks as though the 10d
is the charge Fermoy to Dublin, and then the charge altered to include the
cost to England, but in that case why would it not be the same for all of
them?
None of our reference books
seems to help in this respect. Would scans help?

Regards to all
Eunice and Ron
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