BECHUANALAND
Postal History, Postmarks
POSTAL HISTORY
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BECHUANALAND / Forerunner / Outgoing Missionary Mail 1876 (28th January), envelope addressed to “Miss Moffat / 64 Knowle Road / Brixton Road / London, S.W.” England. Endorsed ‘Per Donald Currie Line / Via Dartmouth’ and showing a large ‘2d’ Cape accountancy mark struck in red. Bearing a single Hope Seated 4d blue (SG 24a) tied by a light strike of the ‘19’ Barred Oval Numeral Canceller with a proving strike of HOPETOWN (JA 28) single circle datestamp below. With a Cape Town (FE 3) transit datestamp struck on the front and a London (7 Mar) arrival backstamp. The flap with tear, otherwise a fine and very rare example of early mail out of the area that was to become British Bechuanaland.
Note: the famous missionary Robert Moffat settled at 64 Knowle Road, Brixton, London in 1873. The place of posting, the addressee and the address all indicate this envelope originated from his son, the missionary John Smith Moffat or his wife who were then resident at the London Missionary Society station at Kuruman.
At this date, Kuruman had no postal agency and mail to and from Kuruman went via Hope Town, over 150 miles to the south. Kuruman was within the area proclaimed the colony of British Bechuanaland nine years later on 30th September, 1885.
This letter would have been carried on the Edinburgh Castle which sailed on the 10th February, arriving in Dartmouth on the 6th March.
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