This post provides a survey of postmark types used in Upper Canada and Lower Canada (Canada West/ Canada East) during the period preceding the issuance of the Province of Canada's first adhesive postage stamp in 1851.
The article is organized as follows:
A. Straight Line Postmarks
B.Circular Postmarks
1. Notable Quebec City Postmarks
a) Circular Postmark With Bishop Mark
b) "Fleuron"
2. Single Outer Circle
3. Double Circle with Post Office Name Between
4. Broken Circle (Split Ring)
a) 1829 Broken Circles : Serifed Font
b) Serifed Font: Changeable Dates/No Dates and Province Identified
c) Unserifed Font : Changeable Dates and Province Identified
A. Straight Line Postmarks
Straight-line postmarks which had been used in the other American colonies were introduced in 1764.
Montreal
Montreal Straight Line
Montreal to Quebec, January 13, 1816
Paid 9d.
York
York Straightline May 1, 1816
York to Montreal,
B. Circular Postmarks
1. Notable Quebec City Postmarks
a) Quebec Circular Postmark With Bishop Mark
Henry Bishop, who was the British Postmaster General from 1660 to 1663, introduced the postmark. Bishop explained that the postmark was put on every letter showing the day of the month that every letter came to the post office to prevent letter carriers from detaining letters.“Bishop marks”, were used in England, Ireland, Scotland, the North American colonies (including New York, Philadelphia, Quebec and Nova Scotia) and India during the 17th and 18th Century.
The Quebec Bishop marks were used in conjunction with Quebec circular postmarks.
Quebec to Montreal, July 12, 1789
Quebec circular postmark + Bishop Mark:
The marks shown separately:
Quebec circular with triangle at the base
Bishop mark
b) Quebec City "Fleuron"
Fleurons are typographic element consisting of stylized form of flowers or leaves. The Quebec "Fleuron" postmark, in use from 1812 to 1831, was an open circle marking with two stylized leaves at its base.
Quebec City fleuron
July 18, 1817
The Quebec City fleuron was applied on the back of the cover addressed to Montreal.
2 . Single Outer Circle
Hamilton
No year in postmark
Hamilton to Guelph, May 27, 1831
Kingston
Kingston to Quebec, August 31, 1837
3. Double Circle with Post Office Name Between
Rawdon
Rawdon to Kingston, February 16, 1844
Niagara
Niagara to York, January 12, 1826
Montreal
Montreal to St. Catharines, September 28, 1836
City of Toronto
Toronto to Port Hope, January 24, 1836
4. Broken Circle (Split Ring) Postmarks
a) 1829 Broken Circles : Serifed
The 1829 postmarks were produce in Birmingham, England, for 105 places in Upper and Lower Canada. They did not identify the province, and manuscript dates were inserted by the postal employees.
Sandwich
Stamped on the back of the cover
Sandwich to York, August 10, 1829
London
London to Toronto, May 26, 1838
Grimsby
Grimsby to "Citty of Toronto", August 20, 1834
b) Serifed Font: Changeable Dates/No Dates and Province Identified
The second model of broken circle postmarks, still serifed, had changeable dates and identified the province, i.e. Upper Canada or Lower Canada.
London
Quebec
c) Unserifed Font : Changeable Dates and Province Identified
A third type of broken circle postmark produced in the prestamp period used an unserifed font.
Montreal
Montreal to Cambridge, Mass., September 29, 1850