London - France February 28, 1815 via the Netherlands during the occupation of Northern France by allied army

1. offizieller Beitrag

    Hello,

    This is a letter dated February 28, 1815 from London to Tourcoing and was received on March 7, 1815. This is a very special situation because:
    1) at that time all routes between London and Europe were restarted: Dover - Calais; Dover Ostend and Harwich - Hellevoetsluis;
    2) the British rate 1shilling 4 pence shows the route via Holland (Brielle) (the rate via France was cheaper 1 shilling 2 pence);
    3) the handstamp Brielle English Correspondentie confirms the letter passed via Holland;
    At that time the North of the France territory (so called Flemish France) was occupied by an allied army (Saxony, Prussian, etc.).
    From 28.2.1814 until 8.3.1815 Thurn and Taxis was restarted in Belgium but after this date it was the Netherlands post.
    So the letter dated during the Thurn & Taxis period.
    My question is: were the Turn & Taxis rates applied in the occupied part of France or could it be a France rate?
    Thanks for helping,
    wvw1952

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Hallo wvw1952

    A verry nice letter :)

    And the question is good :)

    In Delbekes book "De Post naar de Nederlanden" I think we may have an answer, but if it is the right one is difficult to say.

    Page 342, Afbeelding 110, we can find a letter to Gand wich seems to follow the old french Tarif. And if this letter is a parallel your letter is also so taxed.

    But one question remains - I think we first have to understand the 8 in the left upper corner, a english one?


    Well, the answer could have been better, but thanks for showing this ineteressting cover anyway :)

    Best regards
    Nils

    Hallo Nils,

    I am afraid this is not the good answer.
    The letter in the book of Delbeke comes from London via Ostend and goes to Ghent (both in the Flanders).
    The letter I show comes also from London but via the Netherlands over the Flanders and goes to France. So this letter is more complicate.
    The French left Belgium begin 1814 and from March 1814 until March 18, 1815 Tour & Taxis runs the post in Belgian but keeps the French tariff.
    After that the post in Belgian was in the hands of the Netherlands with the tariff of the Netherlands.
    I have got an answer of Miss Chauvet that can be correct: in Tourcoing the French tariff was applied, so 6 décimes for the sea rate (GB - Calais) plus 4 décimes for Calais - Tourcoing = 10 décimes.
    Maybe the 8 in the left corner can be a reimbursement for T&T and the Netherlands.

    Best regards,
    wvw1952

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Hallo wvw1952

    I don't think I expressed my self correctley in refering to the letter shown. I should much clearer had directed to the text below the picture which refers to the from you mentioned tarif. Delbeke refers here also to Chauvet.

    So I think we see it the same way here :)

    Best regards
    Nils

    Hello wvw1952,

    The French here applied the rate of GB-France convention of 1801 (always current in 1815) for another way that the Channel way. There was at that time only one postal rate from GB to France, but several postal routes (as your letter shows us).
    The postage of this letter can be indeed decomposed as follows: 6 décimes for a British lettre to Calais (included 2 décimes for Sea way) + 4 décimes from Calais to Tourcoing.
    Thinking that the "8" corresponds to the part of the postage due to T&T is not unreasonable considering that the letter entered France in Lille and that the largest part of the postage was due to the T&T and not to France.
    Regards.
    Emmanuel.