PARLIAMENTARY. IRELAND - DUBLIN PRESTAMP 'MERMAID' FREE DS - PRIVILEGE MAIL AVOIDED POSTAGE ENTIRELY; 18 Oct. 1809 E from Dublin to Hillsborough with exceptionally fine (for this) 'Mermaid'-framed Dublin "FREE" datestamp on the front. The Dublin Mermaid ds's are usually unclear. Exhibition Quality. [Illustrated in BPPP, p.39.] Cross Reference: IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY, FREE MAIL (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. FAILED FREES - RED "Above Privilege" ON COVER WITH BLACK "Above Weight" + FAILED PRINTED FREE TO BONN; Unique (?) 13 Dec. 1815 redirected EL endorsed "1 Oz" and then "Above 1 oz" sent from Belfast to London (& then to Uxbridge) with fair red "BELFAST/80" on the front along with BOTH the rare London black "Above Weight" (v. fine) and the rare red "Above Privilege" (mainly fine) marks on the front. Exceptional combination of these two explanatory marks on one cover. Plus 1831 EL (printed contents ref. Isaac Newton and religion) from Salisbury to Bonn signed "T. Sarum" by the Bishop of Salisbury as if a free frank but prepaid the full outgoing postage to Germany. (2 covers) [The first ex Cavendish 10 Sept. 2015 - lot 1899, realised £400+BP; also illustrated in BPPP, p.23.]Cross Reference: FREE MAIL, IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY, WILTSHIRE, POSTAGE DUE MARKS (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. IRELAND - POSTAL RATES FOR PRINTED CHARITY CIRCULARS INC. RARE "CHARITY.LETTER/POST.PAID"; Sept. 1822 E (printed page of the "Monthly Chronicle of the Hibernian Missionary Society") sent from Dublin to Ballibay endorsed "Hib. Missy. Society" and so entitled to the special '12 for 1d' letter rate within Ireland, having a partly fine very rare red Dublin "CHARITY.LETTER/POST.PAID" mark on the front (only a handful of other examples recorded). [Ex Brian Wallas; paid £750 June 2018.] Plus Dec. 1838 E with "On the business of the SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR IRELAND" imprint and so sent at the special prepaid Uniform 2d Rate within Ireland; prepaid from Dublin to "N.T. Barry" and turned and returned at the same 2d rate to Dublin with fine "NEWTOWN BARRY " cds [latter illustrated in BPPP, p.328]. Rare pair of special Irish charity prepaid postal rates. (2 covers) Cross Reference: IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY, FREE MAIL (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. IRELAND - VERY RARE SCROLL-FRAMED RED DUBLIN "CHARITY LETTER" ON SCRIPTURE READERS SOCIETY CIRCULAR; Fine 16 Feb. 1827 printed EL (circular letter from the "SCRIPTURE READERS' SOCIETY" in Dublin) to a local address with no postal charge but having a 90% very fine scroll-framed "CHARITY LETTER" on the front; we have only handled one other example of this mark in almost 25 years, and it was on a defective front. Only two or three covers have been recorded with this mark that appears to have been a Free Mail mark rather than the 2-line Paid Mail type in the preceding and following lots, hence the distinctive scroll frame. Exhibition quality. [Ex Townsend at £2,250 in c.2014; illustrated in BPPP, p.328.]Cross Reference: FREE MAIL, IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. IRELAND - CHARITY CIRCULAR WITH RARE RED DUBLIN "CHARITY.LETTER/POST.PAID"; 3 Jan. 1831 EL (printed circular of the "The Society for Relief of Sick and Indigent Room-keepers"; some creasing) sent within Dublin and entitled to the special '12 for 1d' Irish letter rate, and so having a mainly fine very rare red Dublin "CHARITY.LETTER/POST.PAID" mark on the front (only a handful of other examples recorded). [Ex Townsend; paid £1,250 c.2014. Illustrated in BPPP, p.328.]Cross Reference: FREE MAIL, IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. FREE MAIL FOR PRINTED MATTER - "PAR. PRO." [PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS] WRAPPERS; 1829/1839 pair of open-ended wrappers sent free from London with red crowned "FREE" ds; the first - to Brighton - endorsed "Par. Pro." at the top and just signed (?"S.E. Darington") at the foot, but the 1839 example headed and signed as a normal free frank by Baron "Howick" and without the Par. Pro. endorsement but clearly originally used for very large printed matter (most likely parliamentary proceedings/papers). Rare pair. (2 covers) Cross Reference: FREE MAIL, OFFICIAL MAIL, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. VERY RARE COMPLETE PRESTAMP "PAR[LIAMENTARY]. PRO[CEEDINGS]." WRAPPER; Fine 10 July 1839 folded wrapper to Exeter (printed address label to "Edward Divett, Esq., M.P.") with printed "Par. Pro." heading and "(FREE.)" imprint at foot, the address label tied by a very fine London crown-on-top "FREE/E" datestamp. Very few pre-1840 examples of these specially printed Par. Pro. wrappers - arguably the forerunners of the 1840 Houses of Parliament envelopes - have been recorded. Exhibition Item. [Ex Adrian Almond, Cavendish Dec. 2012; lot 495, realised £400+BP; illustrated in BPPP, p.45.]Cross Reference: FREE MAIL, OFFICIAL MAIL (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. VERY RARE 1d BLACK "PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS" COVER - THE 'FRONT COVER ITEM' FROM GAVIN'S BOOK; 7 Apr. 1841 E with special printed "PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS" heading above the address, partly printed "To The/Right Reverend/The Bishop of [Norwich, Palace, Norwich]" address, and "Parish Register/Return" imprint, sent from "IPSWICH" (fine cds nicely placed on the lower flap) and prepaid with a 4-margin Plate 8 1d Black (DB) tied by a very fine black Ipswich Maltese Cross. Interestingly there was also a printed square in the 'stamp position' (part just visible at the top left of the stamp) to remind the sender to apply a postage stamp! Only a handful of Par. Pro. 1d Black covers have been recorded, all from this correspondence to the Bishop of Norwich. This was the item that Gavin Fryer selected from his entire collection to grace the front cover of his "British Printed Papers by Post" magnum opus. Exhibition Item of great Importance and Character. [Illustrated in BPPP; front cover + p.49.] [RPSL Cert. (2007)] Cross Reference: OFFICIAL MAIL, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS - UNPAID 1d-RATE (TO 4oz) WRAPPER COMPLETE WITH PRINTED "Aliens BILL"; 23 July 1844 plain open-ended unpaid wrapper (closed tears at right barely detract) sent from London (cds on back) to "Birmingham" with the original contents, a printed 19 July 1844 Parliamentary "BILL" regarding "Aliens" (not from UFOs, but non-British subjects!) and so charged only "1[d]", because prepayment was optional for Parliamentary Proceedings such as this and the 1d rate covered weights up to 4 ounces. It is most unusual to find the wrapper with its original contents. [Illustrated in BPPP, p.54.]Cross Reference: PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, POSTAGE DUE MARKS (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. UNIQUE(?) "Par. Pro." WRAPPER WITH 1841 2d BLUE STRIP OF FOUR + 1d RED FOR THE 32oz - 36oz 9d RATE; Extraordinary 16 June 1845 large part open-ended wrapper (rebacked and with toning professionally reduced) addressed to Fowey with a special printed "Par. Pro./To be Posted at the House of Commons only/POST PAID" heading, much of which is beneath the franking of a 1d Red and a Strip of Four 1841 2d Blues all tied by the London "14" diamond numerals. This 9d rate was only for heavy bundles of printed Parliamentary Papers, and covered the 32oz to 36oz weight band. We are not aware of any other stamped Par. Pro. rates using Imperf. issues above the 2d rate. Exceptional Exhibition Item. [Ex Danzig, Oct. 2019, for £1,250.]Cross Reference: PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, 1841 2d BLUES (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE RATE COVERS WITH IMPERF. ISSUES - 6d FEE PAID IN CASH OR WITH 2d BLUES STRIP; Attractive and very rare 12 Dec. 1850 'PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE' (imprint at top) to "Coghill, Essex", franked with 2d Blue plate 4 strip of three (with remarkably even large margins all round) paying the compulsory registration and 1d Red (4 close to huge margins) all tied by mainly fine "447" numerals of LEEDS (cds on the back, along with London (3) and KELVEDON), endorsed 'No such place known in Essex' and "Not for Coggeshall", then "try Kelvedon" where it seems to have finally been delivered. This special scheme for Parliamentary Notices only operated on one specific day (usually in in December) each year and was only available at the largest POs; the scheme was first introduced from Nov. 1848, so this is a very early example and is of Exhibition Quality. [Ex Cavendish Sept. 2021, lot 1057, realised £1,200.] Plus 26 Dec. 1849 front with similar imprint but the "6[d]" fee paid in cash and with a near-4m 1d Red tied by the Liverpool "466" numeral. (2 items) Cross Reference: YORKSHIRE, LANCASHIRE - LIVERPOOL, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, 1841 2d BLUES (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. THE UNIQUE(?) 1850 COVER WITH 1d REDS & GENUINE LONDON CROWNED "FREE" DATESTAMPS CORRECTLY USED; 2 June 1850 giant EL (c.12x4 ins. as now folded round at each end) containing a scroll-like manuscript Petition to Parliament seeking protection for the "Independent Order of Odd Fellows" from impending legislation, with 183 different signatures) posted from "STOCKPORT" (fair blue cds on reverse) to an M.P. in London endorsed "Petition to Parliament", but oddly franked by four Imperf. 1d Reds (almost 4 margins; affected by light folds) tied by blurred Numerals and endorsed "Above 2 Ozs" and "4d" with fine London encircled "MORE TO PAY/A TO L" on the front. However, 3 days later (6 June), these charges were cancelled and two very fine strikes of the very rare London red crowned "FREE" cds (Lovegrove R6, light folds; recorded in the GPO Proof Books as having been issued on 17 Jan. 1850) of which Lovegrove only records one other example (the Petition dated Dec. 1852 illustrated in Lovegrove, 2nd ed., p.82) applied at each end of the address panel. This cover was the first of this genuine post-1840 "FREE" mark to be discovered (in 1974) and it seems clear that the mark was issued in 1850 precisely for this rare category of mail which has always been allowed Free of postage. Important Free Mail Exhibition item and a Unique(?) usage with postage stamps and Postage Due marks. [Ex Douglas Markwick; RL PH auction, March 1986, lot 423a; realised £529. Ex Frank Bottomley, Cavendish Mar. 2012, lot 2829; realised £1,200+BP.] [Illustrated in BPPP, p.66.] Cross Reference: CHESHIRE, FREE MAIL, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, POSTAGE DUE MARKS (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. COMPLETE PRO-OCEAN 1d POSTAGE "PETITION TO PARLIAMENT" WITH 1852 LONDON CROWNED "FREE" DATESTAMP; 10 Dec. 1852 giant EL (c.10x4 ins. being several sheets of paper attached to each other with 239 different signatures, and rolled into a continuous letter folded 25 times and totalling some 2.4 metres in length!) being a scroll-like manuscript Petition to Parliament seeking "the establishment of a System of Ocean Penny Postage", meaning a 1d to be charged for sea postage from any British port to any port overseas (but especially in the United States and Canada), separately from inland rates within either country. It was sent by post endorsed "Petition to Parliament" from "TAUNTON" (fine red-brown cds on reverse) to "H. Labouchere M.P." in London, and has a very fine strike of the very rare red crowned London "FREE/+" ds of 11 Dec. on the front. Labouchere was M.P. for Taunton from 1830 until 1859, and he was President of the Board of Trade from 1838 to 1841 and and from 1847 until 1852. This cover and that in the previous lot are the only recorded examples with this post-1840 crowned "FREE" mark. Important Exhibition Item. [Ex Robson Lowe PH auction, 13 Feb. 1985; lot 1326, realised £351 inc. BP.] [Illustrated in BPPP, p.67.] Cross Reference: TRANSATLANTIC MAIL, FREE MAIL, MULREADY STATIONERY & PROPAGANDA COVERS, SOMERSET (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE COVER WITH 1841 2d VERTICAL STRIP OF FIVE EX BIRMINGHAM; Attractive long 9 Dec. 1852 env. with "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE." imprint at top sent from "BIRMINGHAM" (fine blue cds backstamp) with an attractive Vertical Strip of Five 1841 2d Blues (one 4m) tied by v. fine Birmingham "75" Numerals. Fine example of this special one-day-only-each-year postal rate; with the 6d fee plus 4d postage (over 1oz & up to 2oz) in this case. Early example of this obscure postal service introduced from Nov. 1848, and only usable from a small number of the largest POs. [Ex Prof. Ladany; Cavendish Sept. 2017, lot 3761, realised £2,600+BP.] [Illustrated in BPPP, p.67.]Cross Reference: PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, WARWICKSHIRE - BIRMINGHAM, 1841 2d BLUES (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. PRINTED "Par. Pro./To be posted at the House of Commons only./POST PAID" WRAPPER SIGNED BY POSTAL REFORMER "JOSEPH HUME"; Fine 24 Feb. 1854 blued paper complete open-ended wrapper sent from London to Norfolk with this rare printed heading but also with red ms "2d" and a red crowned Official "PAID" cds on the front. [Ex Barrell, Apr. 2020, £275.] Cross Reference: OFFICIAL MAIL, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, AUTOGRAPHS (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE REDIRECTED PAIR WITH 6d+ 2d BLUE+ 2x1d REDS OR WITH 6d+ 4x1d REDS; 21 Nov. 1864 "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE" headed EL from London to Nottingham with Small Letters 6d Lilac + 2d Blue (pl.9) tied by fine duplexes, but then most unusually redirected locally with pair of 1d Reds tied by the Nottingham duplex. Plus similar 12 Dec. 1864 "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE" EL sent from London to Llanelly (cds on flap) with 4 1d Reds + a Small Letters 6d Lilac all tied by Shrewsbury duplexes, but then redirected to Surrey without any more stamps. Rare pair. (2 covers)Cross Reference: NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, 1858-69 2d PLATES (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE TRIO WITH DIFFERENT FRANKINGS FROM EXETER OR EX LEEDS (2); Fine 8 Dec. 1864 "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE." env. from Exeter with 2d Blue (pl.9)+ Small Letters 6d Lilac tied by "285" numerals; plus pair of very long 8/10 Dec. 1868/73 envs. (some edge toning and/or wear) with "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE." imprints at top both sent from Leeds with 1d Red + 2d Blues (pl.9) or 1d Red + 6d Grey (pl.12) all tied by fine "LEEDS/447" duplexes. Good trio. (3 covers) Cross Reference: PARLIAMENTARY MAIL, YORKSHIRE, DEVON (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. SCOTLAND - "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE" PAIR WITH DIFFERENT FRANKINGS FROM GLASGOW OR EX EDINBURGH; Fine 11 Dec. 1865 "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE." EL from Glasgow to "Whitehorn" also headed "GLASGOW IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW STREETS" with 1d Red + 6d Lilac (pl.5) tied by duplexes [illustrated in BPPP, p.61.] Plus fine long 10 Dec. 1870 EL also with "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE." heading but from Edinburgh unusually with 4d Vermilion pair (faults) tied by duplexes. Good pair. (2 covers) Cross Reference: SCOTLAND, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. SCOTLAND - "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE" COVER WITH RARE 9d STRAW SINGLE FRANKING EX EDINBURGH; Fine 10 Dec. 1870 E (some toning on reverse) with "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE. No.[256]" heading sent from Edinburgh to Portobello and most unusually franked purely with a scarce 9d Straw (pl.4) tied by a very fine "EDINBURGH/131" duplex. Very few internal G.B. QV covers are known with a single 9d franking. Exhibition Quality. [Ex Lajer; paid £1,250 April 2023. Also ex Cavendish 'Vivien Sussex' auction, Mar. 2002; lot 110, realised £150+BP.] Cross Reference: SCOTLAND, PARLIAMENTARY MAIL (Image)

PARLIAMENTARY. LATER QV FRANKINGS - SCOTLAND - "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE" (1d+6d) OR "PER PAR. PRO." (SINGLE 1d LILAC); Long 10 Dec. 1881 "PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE" env. from London to Wath with 1d Lilac (large dots) + 6d Grey (pl.17) tied by a single duplex [illustrated in BPPP, p.62]. Plus a late usage of the "Parliamentary Proceedings" rate - 24 Dec. 1881 complete very large size 16-page printed "GENERAL LIST OF PETITIONS FOR PRIVATE BILLS" string-bound document (slight toning and reinforced along bottom edge) sent locally in London endorsed "Per Par. Pro." (very late usage) and so only franked with a single 1d Lilac (for up to 4oz) tied by the printed papers London "S.W" cds. Plus curious 21 Apr. 1882 printed 'writing-like' House of Commons circular headed "Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister". (3 items)Cross Reference: PARLIAMENTARY MAIL (Image)