Earliest Postmark Associated with Franking

The earliest postmark associated with the franking privilege was a two line, unframed stamp inscribed AFFRANCHI/PAR ETAT (franked be State), struck in black or red on official correspondence from Paris in 1672. This stamp is all the more remarkable since it preceded any other handstruck postmark of France by twenty-three years. A considerable time elapsed before this was followed, in 1744, by a single line mark inscribed AFFAIRES DU ROY. During the Revolution, the use of franks proliferated rapidly, reflecting the turbulent nature of French politics at that time.

In Britain, parliamentary and official mail was carried free of charge, the privilege being granted by Royal Warrant as the revenue of the Post Office went to the Crown. In 1764, postal revenues were surrendered by the Crown to Parliament in return for a Civil List. The franking privilege, thereafter, had to authorised by Act of Parliament. This necessitated the introduction of special stamps inscribed FREE in May 1764. At first, these were undated but a date was incorporated in 1791. In 1799, a crown was also featured, and this was characteristic of the English franks until they were abolished in 1840 as part of the package of postal reforms introduced by Rowland Hill. Only one type of ‘free’ handstamp was ever used at Edinburgh (1772 – 1788) but Dublin had a most elaborate system. Ireland was, in fact, using distinctive franks from 1706 onwards, the most attractive being the ‘mermaids’ – so called from the female figure adorning their frame and probably derived from the figure on the heraldic harp.