Help sought on Princes Road Collection Point marking

[earsathome]

Hello All,

We have another query for a letter of July 1818, image attached. The mileage mark is
P R I N R D S C P
A previous owner has explained that this is an abbreviation for
PRIN(CES) R(OA)D C(OLLECTION) P(OINT)

The mileage is too indistinct to read but it is underlined and looks as if it could be a final number 3.
If this is Aylesbury, it should be 39 .

The nearest we can find in our reference books is for a London office Princes Street, Leicester Square for which the abbreviation is Princes St Lt Sq, but that would not have a mileage mark.

Has anyone seen this stamp please— or have any suggestions as to where it might be?
the letter is addressed to Thomas Tindale Esq Clerk of the Peace Aylesbury Bucks , and was written from Pickerage, Near Gerrards Cross July 5th 1818 . By the Revd G W Truman, and the contents are most interesting.
Any help appreciated
Regards
Ron and Eunice

[admin]

It's "GERRARDS CR"(oss) I think.

BTW, the search tool's handy for unclear postmarks -- https://www.gbps.org.uk/tools/ukpo -- I didn't see the mention of it being from Gerrards Cross (Buckinghamshire) until after, so got there by searching on what letters I could be confident of (*r*rds*).

[earsathome]

Isn't it amazing, now you say it, it seems rather obvious.

Many thanks indeed for sorting that for us and also for the useful URL for searching for Post Offices, could be very useful.

I wonder where the previous owner got that collecting point, not something that could just be dreamed up I would have thought.

Some years ago we were lucky to get four albums of pre-stamp material (we thought we might be in with a chance of getting one, but other interested people seemed to be on holiday)
Still working through it and never getting bored.

Regards.
Ron and Eunice.

[admin]

I wonder where the previous owner got that collecting point, not something that could just be dreamed up I would have thought.

I suspect Ray Simpson would argue that it probably was, and that collectors have a habit of making guesses that then end up being treated as based on definite information.