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Bermuda's postage stamps

Many feature history, environment, flora and fauna

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer to this web file, please use "bermuda-online.org/stamps.htm" as your Subject.

Introduction

See Stanley Gibbons Bermuda stamps at http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanleygibbons/view/category/sgproductcatalog/10922/40796/CL_CW_MC_1.026. 

Bermuda's very first postage stamp was issued in 1849 by Postmaster William Perot from his post office at Par-la-Ville, Hamilton.  A century later, in 1949, Postmaster Perot's postage stamp (see below) was commemorated by the issue of three stamps, a 2 pence and a halfpenny blue and brown; a 3 pence black and blue; and a 6 pence violet and green. 

1949 Postmaster Perot postage stamp commemorating centenary of his first (1849) stamp

Since then, cultural, illustrated events and personalities in Bermuda history dominate Bermuda postage stamps. Some are from sets issued in 1962, 1970 for the 350th anniversary of Bermuda's Parliament (House of Assembly), 1984 for the 375th anniversary of Bermuda as a British island nation; in 1993 for the 200th anniversary of the City of Hamilton (much younger than the Town of St. George) and more recently. Bermuda postage of 1984

Sir Thomas Gates, Governor designate, and Admiral Sir George Somers (both top graphic) commanded the British fleet to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1609, from Plymouth, Devon. Off the Azores, after a tempest, seven of nine ships got to Jamestown. The flagship Sea Venture, with Somers, Gates and 150 others, was wrecked on a Bermuda reef. All survived and found wild hogs, birds and marine life as food, no humans. Bermuda postage of 1984

How they arrived

Bermuda was uninhabited, with a warm and mild climate. Nine months later, in May 1610, leaving four men to keep Bermuda inhabited as a new British possession, they sailed on two pinnaces they built in Bermuda from native red cedar, the Deliverance and Patience, for Jamestown. They arrived with enough provisions from Bermuda for the starving Virginia colony. Conditions were horrible there compared to Bermuda nearly 600 miles away. In Virginia, they had been presumed dead. Only when they arrived did the Virginians - later, officials in England - know they had landed and survived. Accounts of their tempest ordeal before their shipwreck and their pleasure with Bermuda caused a sensation in London. They inspired William Shakespeare to pen his The Tempest drama; and resulted in the permanent settlement of Bermuda in 1612. Bermuda postage Stamp

More stamps

	In 1620, the first legislative meeting was held at St. Peter's Church, St. George's, later rebuilt in limestone. Early settlers built forts on Paget and Smith's islands. But only one ever fired a shot in anger, against a Spanish ship. English architecture was used by the first colonists but with local limestone not wood after 1620 (see stamp). 1970 sterling Bermuda postage stamp
	In 1775, some Bermudians, sympathetic when America rebelled against British rule, stole gunpowder from the British Army in St. George's. They delivered it to an American ship, for General George Washington's armies. The Continental Congress exempted Bermuda  from the food and grain embargo against other British territories during the Revolutionary War. Bermuda postage stamp
	Over the objections of the town of St. George, Hamilton was incorporated in 1793 as Bermuda's capital. Bermuda's most cherished stamps are the Perot stamps from 1848, in three values, of which there are only 11 left. Owners include former Premier Dr. David Saul with two; Her Majesty the Queen with four; the late Baron Stig Leuhesen's Estate (he once lived in Bermuda). The Moncrieff Cover of 1875 has three original stamps on the original envelope.  In London in 2003, one of these stamps sold for $104,885. One of the many special stamps was in 1993 for Hamilton's bicentenary.  Bermuda postage stamp
	Bermuda limestone was the building material, for protection against hurricanes. But quarrying and cutting was arduous. It is still used today mostly for roofs. Concrete blocks are now the walls in modern Bermuda homes. Bermuda postage stamps are collected by stamp enthusiasts. Non-residents can use a special mail service. The Philatelic Bureau of the Bermuda Post Office has  a Standing Order Account service. This assists them in their collections of Bermuda's postage stamps, postcards, stamp booklets, airliners (aerograms) and First Day Covers.  Bermuda postage Stamp
	In May 2002, a new postage stamp set was issued, showing four Bermuda caves - Fantasy Cave, Crystal Cave, Prospero's Cave and Cathedral Cave. To be on its mailing list, or receive information about Bermuda's past and present stamp issues, send your name and full mailing address (by airmail) to The Philatelic Bureau, Bermuda General Post Office, Hamilton HM PM, Bermuda. Or for any further information, e-mail gpo@ibl.bm. Also see Sue's Stamp World.

All the graphics above were processed by the author

Books and Papers on Bermuda's Stamps include

A Beginning Collection of Bar and Duplex Cancels on the Victorian Stamps of Bermuda. David R. Pitts. Mimeo; May 1998. [58 pp.]

A Study of the Printings of the King George VI Key-Type High Values of Bermuda, Leeward Islands & Nyasaland. Eric P. Yendell. Study paper no. 13. King George VI Collectors Society, 1983; 21 pp.

Air Mails of Bermuda. Norman C. Baldwin. Sutton Coldfield, U.K, F.J. Field, 1967. [16 pp.].

Bermuda. Henry R. Holmes. London, H.F. Johnson, 1932; 93 pp.

Bermuda, 1938-53, 1/- to £1: Inferences from the Crown Agents' Records. Study paper no. 2. King George VI Collectors Society, 1973; 16 pp. Originally published as whole number 74 of Geosix.

Bermuda: A Study of the King George VI High Value Definitives - 12/6 Perf. 14. Wilson C. K. Wong. Study paper no. 14. King George VI Collectors Society, 1989; 46 pp.

Bermuda by Air: A Handbook and Catalog of Bermuda Philately. Charles E. Cwiakala. Edited by R.W. Dickgiesser. Killen, Ala., Bermuda Catalog Project, 1996, xiv+141 pp.; bibliography.

Bermuda King George VI High Values: A Guide to the Flaws and Printings. Robert W. Dickgiesser. Weston, Mass., Triad Publications, 1980, 59 pp.; bibliography.

Bermuda Mails to 1865; An Inventory of the Postal Markings. Michel Forand and Charles Freeland. Monograph no. 13. British Caribbean Philatelic Study Group, 1995; 128 pp.; bibliography, index.

Bermuda: The 1910-36 "Ship" Type Stamps. M. H. Ludington. London, Junior Philatelic Society, 1955; 35 pp.

Bermuda: The Half-Penny on One Penny Provisional of 1940. {Study paper no. 9] King George VI Collectors Society, 1976; 11 pp. Published as whole number 93 of Geosix.

Bermuda: The Handstruck Stamps and Cancellations. Robson Lowe, 1956. London,  45 pp.

Bermuda: The Post Office, Postal Markings and Adhesive Stamps. Robson Lowe, 1962. London,  297 pp. + 51 plates. A 4-page list of "Addenda and Corrigenda" was published in 1966. Supplement. London, Robson Lowe, 1968; 38 pp. + 14 plates.

First flights of Bermuda and British Caribbean FAM Routes. Charles E. Cwiakala. [Monograph no. 3]. British Caribbean Philatelic Study Group, ca. 1982; [35 pp.]. Reprinted from the British Caribbean Philatelic Journal.

Head-plate flaws of the King George VI high values of Bermuda, Leeward Islands, and Nyasaland. Interim report no. 2. King George VI Collectors Society, May 1970; 25 pp.

King George VI Large Key Type Stamps of Bermuda, Leeward Islands, Nyasaland. Robert W. Dickgiesser and Eric P. Yendall. Weston, Mass., Triad Publications, 1985, 183 pp.; bibliography.

Regular Sea Communications with Bermuda to 1914. Reprinted from Bermuda Historical Quarterly, 1979; iv+8 pp.

Stamps from the Bermuda Prize Court Sale. Kasimir Bileski. Canada ca. 1949, 11 pp.

Study of the head-plate flaws of the George VI high values of Bermuda, Leeward Islands and Nyasaland. Edwin H. Folk. Interim report. Philadelphia, August 1968, 7 pp.

The Airmails of Bermuda, 1925-1989: A Specialized Catalogue and Illustrated Price List. William J. Clark. Greenwich, Conn., Havemayer Press, 1990; [68 pp.]. Second edition revised and augmented, 1991 [76 pp.]. Third edition, revised and augmented, 1992.

The Bermuda Packet Mails and the Halifax-Bermuda Mail Service, 1806 to 1886. Dr. Jack (John) C. Arnell and Morris. H. Ludington.  Postal History Society, 1989, 103 pp. Includes annual tables showing dates of departure and arrival of each packet and mail boat at its various ports of call.

The Development of the Transatlantic Mail Service to Bermuda. Dr. Jack (John) C. Arnell. Offprint from Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History. 1989. 18 pp. [pages 25 to 42.

The Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps. Volume 5, part 5; Bermuda and British Honduras. Robson Lowe. London, Robson Lowe, 1973; 128 pp.

The Furness Line to Bermuda. M. H. Ludington and Michael R. Rego. Monograph no. 11, British Caribbean Philatelic Study Group, 1991; 60 pp.

The King George V High-Value Stamps of Bermuda. Myles Clazer. Marblehead, Mass., Calaby Publishers, 1994; xv+208 pp.; bibliography; index

The King George VI issue for Bermuda - the 1/2d to 1/6 values: an attempt to examine and evaluate new evidence. Frank R..Saunders. King George VI Collectors Society, 1970; 16 pp.

The Postal History of Blockade Running through Bermuda, 1861-1865. Monograph no. 14. British Caribbean Philatelic Study Group, 1966; iii+47 pp.; 2 indexes

The Postal History of Bermuda. Edward B. Proud. E.B. Proud Ltd., 2003; 432 pp..

The Postal History and Postage Stamps of Bermuda. Lawrence, Mass., Quarterman, 1978; 446 pp.; index.

The Postage Stamps of Bermuda. Bertram W. H. Poole. W.E.P. philatelic handbook no. 7. London, D. Field, 1911; 39 pp.

The Royal Mail Steam Packets to Bermuda and the Bahamas, 1942-1859. M. H. Ludington and Geoffrey A. Osborn. London, Robson Lowe, 1971; 26 pp. + 7 loose maps.

West Indian Censorship Devices. Handbook no. 2. Geoffrey G. Richie. Harrogate, U.K., Roses Caribbean Philatelic Society, 1977; 105 pp. In addition to Bermuda, contains articles on Bahamas, Barbados (revised), British Guiana (revised), British Honduras, Cayman Islands (revised), French West Indies, Grenada (revised), Jamaica (revised), Leeward Islands, St. Lucia (revised), and St. Vincent.

Bermuda's General Post Office (GPO)

To which all enquiries re postal stamps should be made

Stamp Design Advisory Committee

Advises the Bermuda Government's General Post Office on what stamps should be issued and when. See under alphabetical order in Bermuda Government Boards.