[Hugh]

What would we do without commercial and legal correspondence? Since they tend to be kept in old files and records, they tend to survive. And, because they survive, we have all of these old postal markings to explore.

Here's a rather mundane letter about a writ of Fieri facias -- that is, a writ of execution following a judgement in a legal action. It's just one line.

   

Dear Sir,
Houghton cause v Hall [This would appear to be the name of the parties involved - 'cause' would mean action or case]

We send you levy. [This is the 'one line' -- the entire content of the letter]

Yours truly,
Aspoden & Shutteworth
Preston, 23 Feby 1803

It was folded into a cover and mailed to a Mr. Brown, atty [= attorney) in Prescot.

There is a wooden hand-stamp with the town name and a London mile marker. It was normal practice at that time for the town hand-stamp to show the number of miles to the city of London -- even if the letter wasn't going anywhere near the city.

The town name, where it was mailed, is clear enough, PRESTON. Now a city, at that time Preston was a large market town (pop ~11,000) on the north bank of the River Ribble, in Lancashire. It's on the post road between London and Lancaster. According to John Cary's "New Itinerary and Accurate Destination of the Great Roads" published in 1802, Preston was 217 miles to London. This is the same number on the hand-stamp. 

   

Prescot, a market town in 1802, is now incorporated into the borough of Merseyside (Liverpool). The distance between the two towns was about 27 miles. The postal rates (41 Geo III c.7, August 12, 1801) would suggest that the postal rate for a single sheet letter should have been 4d. If I squint and assume a very casual hand is doing the writing, I guess I can see a manuscript '4' on the left of the cover. I've seen worse handwriting (but not often)

I'd welcome any other insights on the rate written on the cover. 

Cheers, Hugh