The History of the Postmarks of the British Isles from 1840 to 1876 - John Hendy (1909)

PREFACE. 7
" This town, which formerly returned two members to Parliament, has the distinction
of having been represented four times in succession (1635-43) by the famous John
Hampden, who was one of its first representatives, and to whose family the manor
belonged."
BANmCKBUHN
Fig. 40.
" Situate about two miles from Stirling. A battle was fought here on the 24th June,
1 314, between the English under King Edward the Second and the Scotch under Robert
Bruce. The latter gained a great and decisive victory which secured the independence
of Scotland."
" A river port on the Foyle ; was colonized and fortified in the reign of James I by
the London Companies, who had purchased large tracts of the confiscated estates of the
Earl of Tyrone, at which period it took the name of Londonderry. It is famous in Irish
history for the memorable siege it sustained in 1689 against the forces of James II."
The collecting and arranging of stamps and postmarks with such notes cannot fail
to be an education to the young, and yet a harmless fad which, in after days when the
rush of life is over, may even be looked upon as worthy of the study of mature age.
Diligent and conscientious search has been made to get together what it is hoped
will be found to be a fairly complete collection of all the types of the postmarks in use
during the period covered by this work, and to give as clearly as possible an accurate
description of the various marks, the reason for their use, and the dates at which they
were brought into use. It is in the latter case that the postmark comes in useful, for
without the postmark it would be impossible to decide upon the dates of issue of certain
stamps. I return my most cordial thanks to the many friends who have kindly assisted
me with specimens of postmarks.
J.
G. Hendy.