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English "Rexmarks" - Request for Information

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 10:08 pm
by admin
More than fifty towns in Scotland used manuscript "town name marks", usually with the rate to Edinburgh appended, before town name handstamps were issued. About 180 individual examples of these marks are known: these are summarised in Rex Clark’s excellent book, Manuscript Town Markings on Early Scottish Mail.

In a breath-taking display at the "Royal" a few weeks ago, Malcolm Ray-Smith showed a few English examples of "Rexmarks", early manuscript town marks: these seem to be rarer than Scottish ones! Mostly, they will have been used before 1720. I am now trying to compile a list of towns in England which used manuscript town markings. So far I have seen examples from:

Doncaster
Falmouth
Ferrybridge (Fferibridge)
Halifax
Penrhyn
Prescott
Thorne
Wigan
York

As a result of a single archive in Hamburg, Doncaster, Ferrybridge and York are common.

I have no doubt there are several more: I am also sure they are not common. I am begging for information: IF you are so fortunate as to have any English manuscript town marks in your collection, please tell me; I will add them to my list. When I have 18 towns, or 30 examples (other than Doncaster, Ferrybridge and York) to report, I will offer it for publication (inter alia) in the GBPS's esteemed magazine.

If you have any to tell me about, ideally I would like scans; to know the exact wording of the mark, if there is a rate attached to the mark, the date and the destination. A scan would be a welcome bonus! Please e-mail me: PVChadwick@gmail.com

Peter Chadwick

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