Page 51 - Fenning_Scoland

1681 - The 'Glasgow' Manuscript Town Mark

From the early 1670's the Scottish Post Office, on some letters, wrote the name of the town
where the letter was put into the post on the reverse of the letter. It is uncertain whether
these manuscript town marks were applied at the originating town or when the letter
passed through Edinburgh's Letter Office to identify letters from an incoming bag to aid the
accounting of post office revenues.

29th November 1681. Letter from Glasgow to Rotterdam via Edinburgh and London. At
Glasgow it would have been charged 7d Sterling paid, being 2d (2s Scots) Glasgow to
Edinburgh and 5d Edinburgh to London. Pre-payment was required for all letters to
Holland and this pre-payment is indicated by 'post pd to London' which looks to be in
the letter writer's handwriting.

The Post Office has then added the 'Glasgow' town mark and the rate from Edinburgh to
London '5d' after the 'post pd to London' both additions apparently in the same ink and
handwriting. These additions were made either at Glasgow or Edinburgh.

The 'XI' in red was the charge in stuivers applied on the Continent and paid by the
recipient in Rotterdam.