16_ColMXBlue

Great Britain - The Imperforate Issues (1840-1853)

Blue Maltese Cross

The only colours of ink officially sanctioned were, first, red and then black. A number of Post Offices, most notably Truro and Preston, used blue ink when applying the cancellation. In addition to cancelling the stamp, Postal clerks were also required to use a date stamp on the envelope to confirm where and when an item was posted. These date stamps had been used for many years prior to the introduction of postage stamps and a wide variety of colours were in use. It is probable that the clerks found it easier to use just one ink pad when applying both the date stamp and the Maltese Cross; certainly the examples used on cover below would seem to confirm this as both can be seen to be in exactly the same shade of blue.

Usage in 1841

[TD] plate 5, cancelled with blue maltese cross [e]

[NE] plate 3, cancelled with
blue maltese cross [e]

[ME] plate 2 in red, cancelled with blue Scottish thin lined maltese cross.

[JD] plate 8 in red,
cancelled with
a blue Maltese cross

[GF] plate 10 in red, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[HK] plate 11 in red cancelled with blue maltese cross

[HE] from Truro to St Columb, dated 13 October 1841,
cancelled with a blue Maltese cross

Usage in 1841 / 1842

[RF and NK] plate 16, two singles on piece
cancelled with blue maltese crosses.

[KI-KJ] plate 20, pair, cancelled
with blue maltese crosses.

[KJ] plate 18, cancelled
with a blue Maltese Cross

[LA] plate 19, cancelled with deep blue maltese cross
(check letter L doubled).

[OG] plate 21, cancelled with blue maltese cross

[KC] plate 22, cancelled with blue maltese cross

[AL] plate 22, on wrapper from Drogheda to Moy dated 27 April 1842,
cancelled with two strikes of a blue-black maltese cross (mixed inks).

Usage in 1842

[RE] plate 23 cancelled with blue maltese cross

[HE] plate 24, cancelled with blue maltese cross

[GB] plate 25, cancelled with
blue maltese cross.

[GH] plate 26, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[SL] plate 30, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[NK-NL plate 27 pair, cancelled with blue maltese crosses.

[AD] plate 31, cancelled
with a blue
Maltese Cross.

[DJ] from Blackpool to Cambridge dated 19 July 1842,
cancelled with a blue Maltese Cross of Preston.
Also Blackpool Penny Post in blue

Usage in 1842

[SD] on entire from Sleaford to Folkingham dated 13 August 1842,
cancelled with a blue maltese cross [e]

[QD] on cover from Preston to Glasgow dated 20 August 1842,
cancelled with a blue maltese cross.

Usage in 1842

[RK] on cover from Lostwithiel to Fowey dated 17 August 1842,
cancelled with a blue maltese cross.

[RB] plate 19, from Darlington to Hartlepool, dated 5 September 1842,
cancelled with a blue-gray Maltese cross
Datestamp on reverse in matching shade

Usage in 1842

[DE] plate 17, from Ayton to London, dated 21 September 1842,
cancelled with a blue-black Maltese cross
Also has Ayton Penny Post in matching shade

[AG] plate 20, on letter from St Columb to Launceston
dated 17 October 1842, cancelled
by a blue maltese cross of St Columb.

Usage in 1842

[NF] plate 25, from Ardrahan to Parsonstown, dated 1 November 1842,
cancelled with a dull blue Maltese cross [e]
Ardrahan datestamp on reverse in matching shade

[AA] plate 21, from Cappoquin to Dublin, dated 28 November 1842,
cancelled with a deep indigo blue Maltese cross
Cappoquin datestamp on reverse in matching shade

Usage in 1842

[SG] plate 25, on entire to Dublin dated 28 November 1842,
cancelled with the distinctive maltese cross of Blackrock in blue.

[TL] plate 25, on a letter from Moate to Dublin dated 20 December 1842,
cancelled by a deep blue maltese cross of Moate [e]

Usage in 1843

[OK] plate 31, cancelled with blue Scottish (thin line) maltese cross.

[TI] plate 32, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[GK] plate 33, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[CB] plate 34, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[SK] plate 35, cancelled with blue Maltese Cross.

[AB] plate 36, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[NL] plate 37, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[JJ] plate 39, cancelled with blue maltese cross of York [e]

[CL] plate 31, from Tullamore to Dublin
dated 16 May 1843,
cancelled by two deep blue Tullamore maltese crosses.

Usage in 1843

[RG] from Otterton to Exeter via Sidmouth, dated 11 July 1843,
cancelled with blue-black Maltese crosses
Also has Otterton Penny Post in blue

[ND] plate 20, from Wem to Ellesmere
dated 28 August 1843,
cancelled by a metallic blue maltese cross of Shrewsbury.
Additional strike on reverse.

Usage in 1844

[AD] plate 37, from Marlborough to London, dated 15 February 1844,
cancelled with a blue-black Maltese cross (mixed inks)

[HL] plate 34, from Sanquhar to Edinburgh, dated 25 May 1844,
cancelled with a blue Maltese cross
Sanquhar datestamp on reverse in matching dark blue

Late usage

[DB] plate 68, on entire from Wolsingham to Stanhope dated 27 September 1847,
cancelled with a blue maltese cross of Wolsingham.

[MA] plate 68, on entire from Wolsingham to Stanhope dated 26 October 1847,
cancelled with a blue maltese cross of Wolsingham.

Additional examples - not in main display

[IB] plate 3, cancelled with
blue maltese cross.

[TH] plate 3, cancelled with
blue maltese cross.

[SE] plate 8, cancelled with
a blue Maltese cross
SE in state 3

[HI] plate 16 cancelled with blue maltese cross

[DF] plate 19, cancelled with
both black and blue
Maltese crosses [e]

[JL] plate 20, cancelled with blue / black (mixed inks) maltese cross [c].

[SE] plate 20 cancelled with blue maltese cross

[CB] plate 20, cancelled with
a blue Maltese cross

[DL] plate 21, cancelled with
a blue maltese cross

[KD] plate 23, cancelled with
a blue Maltese cross

[QI] plate 23, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[TJ] plate 24, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[AK] plate 24, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[NB] plate 24 , cancelled
with a blue
Scottish Maltese Cross

[SH] plate 25, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[GH] plate 26, cancelled with Poulton Penny Post and then blue maltese cross.

[HI] plate 31, cancelled with
a blue Maltese cross

[AE] plate 31, cancelled with blue maltese cross

[BA] plate 31, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[QL] plate 33, cancelled with blue mixed inks maltese cross

[RA] plate 34, cancelled with
a blue Maltese cross

[HA] plate 36, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[BB] plate 36, cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[OG-OH] pair , cancelled with
blue Maltese crosses

[FA] cancelled with blue maltese cross.

[MB] cancelled with blue Maltese Cross.

[FG-GH] block of four, plate 21, cancelled with
blue Maltese crosses

[NG] plate 16, on lettersheet from Truro to London
dated 18 November 1841, cancelled
by a blue maltese cross of Truro.

[LH], on large piece from Truro
dated 5 January 1842, cancelled
by a blue maltese cross of Truro.

[EJ] on entire from Preston to Ireland dated 4 June 1842,
cancelled with a dark blue maltese cross.

[AH] plate 25, from Poulton to Lytham
dated 20 June 1842,
cancelled by a Poulton Penny Post handstamp and then a blue Preston maltese cross.

[FH] plate 23, from Omagh to Dublin, dated 25 August 1842,
cancelled by a blue maltese cross.

[IF] on large piece, from Sleaford to Rotherham
dated 16 October 1842,
cancelled by a blue Sleaford maltese cross.

[LB] on envelope dated 10 Mar 1843 from Poulton to North Meols, cancelled
by a Poulton Penny Post handstamp and then a blue Preston maltese cross

[KD] plate 20, from Blackpool to London
dated 3 August 1843,
cancelled by a blue Preston maltese cross

Letter sheet from Cartmel (via Milnethorpe) to Preston (manuscript “1”), dated 14 September 1843,
then re-directed to Hawkshead with the addition of a 1d red [HH] plate 31, dated 15 September 1843,
cancelled with a blue Maltese cross of Preston

[LG] from Tullamore to Dublin
dated 4 October 1843,
cancelled by a blue Tullamore maltese cross.

[OI] plate 24, from Blackpool to London, dated 21 August 1842,
cancelled with a blue Maltese cross

Also has Blackpool Penny Post in matching shade of blue

[TJ] plate 24, from Goole to Wakefield, dated 31 July 1842,
cancelled with a dark blue Maltese cross
datestamp in matching shade

[RA and TJ] from St Columb to Lostwithiel, dated 7 March 1842,
cancelled with blue grey Maltese crosses [e]
datstamp in matching shade