Lot 46015 - 1818 (December 4th) Folded entire sent from R.B. Deverall, Kew, England to the Treasurer of the Irish Post Office, Greaves Swan, Dublin, showing a red Dublin Penny Post ds on reverse, plus a crowned oval in red TO * BE D

1818 (December 4th) Folded entire sent from R.B. Deverall, Kew, England to the Treasruer of the Irish Post Office, Greaves Swan, Dublin, showing a red Dublin Penny Post ds on reverse, plus a crowned oval in red TO * BE DELIVER'D FREE on front, signed by E.J. Baynes the comptroller of the Dublin Penny Post, a wonderful and attractive usage.

Note: Edward James Baynes was appointed Comptroller of the Dublin Penny Post in 1810 and remained in office into the 1820s. In 1826 he gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry, providing valuable details of the organisation and operation of the Penny Post. Baynes is particularly associated with the distinctive crowned “TO BE DELIVER’D FREE” handstamps, used to exempt certain correspondence from the local Penny Post charge. Examples are recorded from about 1816 to 1831. An 1823 letter bearing both Baynes’ manuscript endorsement and the crowned handstamp provides important evidence linking him personally with this unusual postal privilege.