Pre-Stamp Philately

Early pre-stamp philately is dominated by the merchant’s mails.

Spanish Netherlands 1420 - 1715

The Corsini Correspondence

Antwerp 15 February 1571 arriving London on 18 February
Merchant’s letter written by Gio Angelo Verghano to Filippo Corsini
“Pqa = Per questa 2” An instruction to the courier’s service to debit the writers account with the cost
By 1571, Antwerp was at the height of its prosperity, with 1000 foreign merchants living in the city, 500 ships a day in port, and 2000 wagons arriving each week.
   
Unofficial Mail Tournai to Antwerp 6 April 1666
Mail seems to have been carried by any available carrier travelling in the required direction.
“par Cartier” - This term appears to have lapsed from use in the French language, but is believed to mean “by cart”.
   
28 March 1673 arriving 2 May

Lisbon to Antwerp
Endorsed “p mar” by sea
The red crayon initials are probably those of the courier.
No rate indicated
 

The War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714

The French Occupation 1701-1706
The vertical four red crayon marks indicate 4 stuyvers to pay “per questa” - the office is to debit the sender’s account with the cost

IC - The impressed letters are the initials of the communal messenger
 

The Anglo-Dutch Period 1706-1714
22 November 1710

Private letter Furnes to Ghent
Under the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668, Furnes came under French jurisdiction. It remained so until the Allied occupation in 1713.
Manuscript origin mark “de furnes”
Rate: 4 stuyvers to pay
 

The War of the Australian Succession 1740-1748
French Occupation
14 November 1746
Mons to Gand
Military letter with the negative postmark on “Mons” introduced and used only during the French Occupation.
Letter concerns goods sent by the boat belonging to the widow George Girardin
Rate: 4 stuivers
 

The Austrian Netherlands 1714-1789
7 August 1717
Bruges to Brussels
Commercial letter to Pedro Bendictus Dux from Pieter Willaert
Manuscript “de bruges”
   
The Seven Years War 1756 - 1763

18 August 1760 Nieuport to Ostende
No fighting took place in the Austrian Netherlands during The Seven Years’ War. However, in accordance with a treaty signed between France and Austria in December 1758, Ostende and Nieuport were garrisoned by French troops for the rest of the war.
Wrapper sent between the two French occupied towns of Neuport and Ostende. Type of postmark in use from 1743 to mid - 1780’s.
Rate: 1 stuiver
 
   
29 March 1780
Entire letter “via Paris” to the “Commander of Villefranche, Marshall of the Camps and
 
Armies of the King”
The “T” in a circle was used from 1769 to 1794, usually in black.
   
20 November 1784
Dolhain to Brussels
Commercial letter sent via Battice “de Limbourg aux pais Bas”
Dolhain did not have its own office until 1834
Rate: 3 stuivers
 

French Occupation 1794-1814
The Napoleonic period holds attractions for a wider group than Belgium itself. Look out for the revolutionary calendar!
   
Official Mail
Early registered letter with the franchise mark of the Représentant with the Army of the North and Sambre et Meuse.
Dated 1er Sans Cullotides l’An 2 of the Revolutionary Calendar
(17 September 1794)
   
Anvers (Antwerp) Town Mark
Département No 93 - Les Deux Nèthes
Anvers to Aalst
5 February 1800
93/Anvers 32.5 x 10 mm (H20)
Rate: 5 Décimes
Tariff of 5 Nivose An V
(25 December 1796)
   
Courtrai pre paid mark
Département No 91 - La Lys
Paid letter from Moorseele to the Minister of Justice, Paris, dated “1er Jour Complémentaire 9e Année Rep” (18 September 1802)
The letter is a plea to the Minister to take action against a man the writer has accused of attacking him with a knife. “I have taken the liberty to take the franchise and address you personally ........”
The letter has clearly been ghosted by a literate acquaintance of the originator
Letter endorsed “franche” by the writer, superb paid mark of Courtrai, and boxed Paris paid mark “P.P.”
   
Pre - paid marks
Bruxelles
Département No 94 - La Dyle
Pre-paid wrapper to London with Foreign Branch receipt mark dated 5 May 1815
 

Netherlands period 1815-1830
The period immediately after independence. 1830-1849
   
Brussels to London 4 Nov 1840
Brussels (H78)
Franco Ostende in blue oval (H61)
M/S ¼ Franco
   
Brussels intra - muros offices
In 1845, five new offices were set up within the city walls of Brussels.
They were assigned the letters A to E, and given a new boxed identification mark which was struck in blue.
Letter from Brussels to St Ghislain dated 22 February 1848
Blue mark of the office in the Rue de Flanders, and red arrival mark of St Ghislain dated 22 February. The Rue de Flanders office was closed in 1851
   
Price quotation from Brussels to St Nicolas dated 17th December 1834. Brussels Type 13 departure mark and St Nicolas arrival mark. The arrival mark clearly shows the outline of the year-plug which has not been inserted fully. Rate: 15 Cents