Research Notes


Map Group MAKER_DATE

Post Office 1890
Road map, GENERAL POST OFFICE CIRCULATION MAP for England and Wales, scale about 10 miles to 1 inch, published by Stanford's Geographical Establishment, London, 1890.
The map shows how the mails are delivered across the country by railway, mail coaches and carts, stage coaches and omnibuses, rural postmen mounted or on foot, or on tricycles. Post towns, money order sub offices, and the end points of mails are plotted.

The map studied is in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, item HMCMS:FA2001.173.
The map size is:- wxh, sheet = 89x111cm, folded = 18x28cm; wxh, map = 867x1067mm.
Detail comments will be made for Hampshire only.
MAP FEATURES
RAILWAYS
POST OFFICE ROUTES TO HAMPSHIRE PLACES
ITEMS in the Collection

MAP FEATURES
title    
Printed upper right is:-
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1890 GENERAL POST OFFICE CIRCULATION MAP FOR ENGLAND & WALES.

map maker    
Printed bottom right is:-
Stanford's Geographical Establishment, London

orientation    
up is N    

The map has no compass rose or latitude and longitude scales. It is printed with north at the top of the page.

scale line    
scale    

Printed below the title and table of symbols is a:-
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Scale of Statute Miles.
The scale has 30 miles marked at 10 mile intervals, plus 10 miles leftwards divided at miles, marked at 5 miles intervals. The 30+10 miles = 99.7 mm gives a scale 1 to 645675; the map scale is about:-
1 to 650000
10 miles to 1 inch

table of symbols    
Printed below the title is an:-
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EXPLANATION
Railways used by the Post Office [bold line, and a line for a station]
Railways not used [double light lines]
Railways in Progress [double light dotted lines]
Mail Coaches & Mail Carts [line tinted red]
Stage Coaches & Omnibuses [line tinted green]
Rural Postmen mounted [line tinted blue]
Rural Postmen on foot [line tinted yellow]
Tricycle Posts [line tinted brown]
Boundary of Counties [light dotted line]
Boundary of Surveyor's Districts [bold dashed line]
Post Towns [name and double circle]
Money-Order Sub.-Offices [name and circle]
Points at which Mail Carts &c. branch or terminate [name and dash]
(The scale line is drawn next.)
To avoid overcrowding the map, only a selection of Money Order Sub-Offices is given in the populous Districts
The portions of the Map coloured pink mark the separate districts of the Postmasters of Manchester Liverpool and Birmingham

county    
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The county boundaries are drawn by a light dotted line; the bolder dashed line is the post office surveyor's district boundary.

The post office surveyors' districts bear no relationship to counties (just as postcodes today are independent of local authority administration; confusing to the public, but making good sense to the postmen delivering the mail.)
Hampshire mostly lies in the south central PO surveyor's district covering all or parts of Middlesex, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and Isle of Wight. Eastern parts of Hampshire are in a south eastern PO surveyor's district stretching across all or parts of West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent.

settlements    
Settlements relevant to the subject of the map, letter delivery, are shown. The various place markers are described in the table of symbols.
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post town
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money order sub office
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end of a post route

roads    
Roads are implied by the routes of the mounted and foot postman's walks in rural areas. The routes are diagrammatic, smoothed-out lines in most examples. Delivery by:-
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mail coach or mail cart,
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stage coach or omnibus,
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mounted rural postman,
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rural postman on foot,
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and tricycle.

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RAILWAYS

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Railways are drawn by bold lines if they are part of the postal system, otherwise by light double lines, and by light dotted lines if they are in still course of construction. The railways (not their companies) shown in use are:-
Andover and Redbridge Railway
Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway
Berkshire and Hampshire Railway
Bishops Waltham Railway
Bishopstoke to Gosport branch railway
Brockenhurst to Christchurch branch railway
Chichester to Portsmouth Railway
Eastleigh to Salisbury branch railway
Fareham to Cosham branch railway
Farnham to Alton branch railway
Hurstbourne to Fullerton branch railway
London and Southampton Railway
Lymington Railway
Mid Hants, Alton Lines, Railway
Portsmouth Railway
Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway
Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway
Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway
Southampton and Dorchester Railway
Southampton and Netley Railway
Stokes Bay Railway and Pier
Swindon, Grafton and Marlborough Railway

The GWR line from Newbury to Winchester, and the Petersfield Railway from Midhurst, are shown as lines not used. A railway under construction is shown down the west bank of Southampton Water, on a line which never got built quite that way, which looks as if it is aiming for a closest crossing to Cowes, Isle of Wight..
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POST OFFICE ROUTES TO HAMPSHIRE PLACES
Without any sort of written schedule (which does not exist - information from the Post Office archives) it is quite difficult to say exactly how the mails were routed. Notes below list each place and attempt to describe what the map indicates for the mails. It is particularly unclear which railway stations are used and which not. This list should not be believed without confirmation from other documentary evidence.
The place name is what is printed on the map. The modern place name including civil parish is given alongside.
Abbots Ann    
Abbotts Ann
End of a mail coach or cart route to and from Andover, via Amport and Weyhill; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Andover via Amport and Weyhill.

Aldershot    
Aldershot, Rushmoor
Post town - on the Farnham to Alton branch railway; on a mail coach route to and from Farnham, Surrey and Farnborough etc.

Aldershot Camp    
North Camp and South Camp, Aldershot, Rushmoor
Sub office - on a mail coach route to and from Farnham, Surrey and Aldershot and Farnborough etc.

Alresford    
New Alresford
Post town - on the Mid Hants, Alton Lines, Railway; on a mail coach or cart route to and from Alton and Winchester; posts to and from Bramdean by a rural foot postman's walk and by a mounted rural postman's walk.

Alton    
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Alton
Post town - on the Mid Hants, Alton Lines, Railway; on a mail coach or cart route to and from Winchester via Alresford; and posts to Selborne by two rural foot postman's walks.

Alverstoke    
Alverstoke, Gosport
Sub office - on a rural foot postman's walk from Gosport.

Amport    
Amport
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route to and from Andover, via Weyhill, to Abbots Ann; one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Andover via Weyhill, to Abbots Ann.

Andover    
Andover
Post town - on the Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway; posts to and from Hurstbourne Tarrant by a mounted rural postman's walk, to and from Weyhill, Amport, and Abbots Ann by mail coach or cart route and by rural foot postman's walk, and on a mail coach route to and from Micheldever Station; etc.

Basingstoke    
Basingstoke
Post town - on the London and Southampton Railway, Berkshire and Hampshire Railway, Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway; posts by mounted rural postman's walks to and from Baughurst and Church Oakley, and by rural foot postman's walks to and from Church Oakley and Preston Candover.

Baughurst    
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Baughurst
End of a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Basingstoke.

Beaulieu    
Beaulieu
Sub office - end of a mail coach or cart route from Southampton via Totton, Hythe and Fawley.

Bentley    
Bentley
Sub office - end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Farnham, Surrey.

Bishops Waltham    
Bishops Waltham
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route from Southampton via Botley to Warnford; and on the Bishops Waltham Railway.

Bishopstoke    
Bishopstoke, Eastleigh
Sub office - on the London and Southampton Railway, Bishopstoke to Gosport branch railway, and Eastleigh to Salisbury branch railway; and on two rural foot postman's walks from Eastleigh.

Bittern    
Bitterne, Southampton
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route from Southampton to Netley Abbey.

Blackwater Station    
Blackwater Station, Blackwater, Hawley
On the Reading, Guildford and Reigtae Railway; and on mail coach routes to and from Farnborough and Camberley, Surrey.

Boscombe    
Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset
Sub office - on several mail coach or cart routes from Bournemouth.

Botley    
Botley
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route from Southampton to Warnford; on the Bishopstoke to Gosport branch railway, and Bishops Waltham Railway.

Bournemouth    
Bournemouth, Dorset
Post town - on the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway; posts by mail coach or cart routes to and from Boscombe and to and from Parkstone.

Bramdean    
Bramdean
Sub office - end of a rural foot postman's walk and of a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Alresford.

Bramshaw    
Bramshaw
Sub office - drawn in Wiltshire; end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Lyndhurst.

Bransgore    
Bransgore
Sub office - end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from the Ringwood Christchurch mail coach or cart route.

Brockenhurst    
Brockenhurst
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route to and from Lymington to Lyndhurst; on the Southampton and Dorchester Railway.

Broughton    
Broughton
Sub offcie - on a mail coach or cart route to and from Stockbridge to Middle Wallop; and on a rural foot postman's walk to and from Middle Wallop.

Christchurch    
Christchurch, Dorset
Post town - on the Brockenhurst to Christchurch branch railway and Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway; posts by mail coach or cart route to and from Ringwood.

Church Oakley    
Oakley
End of a mounted rural postman's walk and of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Basingstoke.

Cosham    
Cosham, Portsmouth
Sub office - on the Fareham to Cosham branch railway; posts by mail coach or cart to Horndean and Hambledon.

Crondall    
Crondall
Sub office - end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Farnham, Surrey.

Droxford    
Droxford
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route to and from Southampton via Botley and Bishops Waltham to Warnford; and one end of rural foot postman's walks to and from Bishops Waltham and to and from Warnford.

Eastleigh    
Eastleigh
Sub office - on the London and Southampton Railway, Bishopstoke to Gosport branch railway, and Eastleigh to Salisbury branch railway; on a mail coach or cart route to and from Romsey; one end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Bishopstoke.

Eastney    
Eastney, Portsmouth
Sub office - one end of two or three rural foot postman's walks to and from Portsmouth.

Emsworth    
Emsworth, Havant
Post town - drawn in West Sussex; on a mail coach or cart route Havant to and from Chichester etc; on the Chichester to Portsmouth branch railway.

Fareham    
Fareham
Post town - on the Bishopstoke to Gosport branch railway, Fareham to Cosham branch railway, and the extended Southampton and Netley Railway; posts by mail coach or cart to and from Titchfield and to or from Gosport, and by two mounted rural postman's walks to Wickham.

Farnborough    
Farnborough, Rushmoor
Post town - on the London and Southampton Railway, and on the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway; posts by mail coach routes to and from Farnham, Surrey via Aldershot, and to and from York Town, Surrey via Blackwater Station, and to or from Bagshot, Surrey.

Fawley    
Fawley
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route to and from Southampton via Totton and Hythe to Beaulieu.

Fleet    
Fleet
Sub office - on the London and Southampton Railway; and one end of a mounted rural postman's walk and of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Winchfield.

Fordingbridge    
Fordingbridge
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Salisbury to Cranborne.

Fullerton Station    
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Fullerton Station, Fullerton, Wherwell
On the Andover and Redbridge Railway, and the Hurstbourne and Fullerton branch railway.

Gosport    
Gosport
Post town - on the Bishopstoke to Gosport branch railway; posts by two rural foot postman's walks to Alverstoke; one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Fareham; and by the Stokes Bay Railway?

Greatham    
Greatham
End of a mail coach or cart route to and from Liphook; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Liphook via Headley.

Hambledon    
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Hambledon
Sub office - one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Cosham via Horndean and Waterloo Ville.

Hartford Bridge    
Hartford Bridge, Hartley Wintney
Sub office - served by a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Winchfield, and on rural foot postman's walks to and from Winchfield and Hook.

Havant    
Havant
Post town - on the Portsmouth Railway, and Chichester to Portsmouth branch railway; posts by two mounted rural postman's walks to and from Hayling; and by mail coach or cart to and from Chichester etc.

Hayling    
North Hayling, Havant
Sub office - one end of two mounted rural postman's walks from Havant.

Headley    
Headley, Ashford Hill with Headley
Sub office - on a rural foot postman's walk Liphook to and from Greatham.

Hook    
Hook
Sub office - on the London and Southampton Railway; one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Winchfield via Hartford Bridge.

Horndean    
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Horndean
Sub office - on mail coach or cart routes Cosham via Waterloo Ville to and from Hambledon.

Hursley    
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Hursley
Sub office - one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Winchester via Twyford; and of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Winchester via Twyford.

Hurstbourne Station    
Hurstbourne Station, Hurstbourne Priors
On the Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway, and the Hurstbourne to Fullerton branch railway.

Hurstbourne Tarrant    
Hurstbourne Tarrant
Sub office - one end of a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Andover.

Hythe    
Hythe, Hythe and Dibden
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Southampton via Totton to and from Beaulieu.

Kings Somborne    
Kings Somborne
Sub office - one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Stockbridge.

Kings Worthy    
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Kings Worthy
Sub office - one end of two tricycle post routes to and from Winchester.

Kingsclere    
Kingsclere
Sub office - one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Newbury, Berkshire.

Liphook    
Liphook, Bramshott and Liphook
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Greatham to and from Haslemere, Surrey via Shutter Mill; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Greatham via Headley.

East Liss    
West Liss    

Liss
Subu offices - there are two rural foot postman's walks East Liss to and from West Liss, but it is not clear how the post gets to Liss, it is on the Portsmouth Railway.

Long Parish    
Longparish
Sub office - one end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Whitchurch.

Lymington    
Lymington, Lymington and Pennington
Post town - on the Lymington Railway; one end of a mail coach route to and from Lyndhurst, carried on from there by foot or horse; one end of two mounted rural postman's walks to and from Milford.

Lyndhurst    
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Lyndhurst
Sub office - one end of two mail coach or cart routes to and from Lymington via Brockenhurst; of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Bramshaw; and of a stage coach or omnibus route to and from Lyndhurst Road Station.

Lyndhurst Road Station    
Lyndhurst Road Station, Ashurst and Colbury
On the Southampton and Dorchester Railway; one end of a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Lyndhurst.

Marchwood    
Marchwood
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Southampton via Totton to and from Beaulieu.

Micheldever Station    
Micheldever Station, Micheldever
Post town - on the London and Southampton Railway; one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Whitchurch or perhaps Newbury, Berkshire; and a mail coach or cart route to and from Andover; posts to and from Sutton Scotney by a mounted rural postman's walk.

Middle Wallop    
Middle Wallop, Nether Wallop
Sub office - on and of a mail coach or cart route to and from Stockbridge via Broughton, and perhaps Winchester; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Stockbridge via Broughton.

Milford    
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Milford-on-Sea
Sub office - one end of two mounted rural postman's walks to and from Lymington.

Netley Abbey    
Netley Abbey, Hound
Sub office - on the Southampton and Netley Railway; and one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Southampton via Bittern and Woolstone.

North End    
North End, East Woodhay
End of a mail coach or cart route to and from Newbury, Berkshire via Woolton Hill.

Odiham    
Odiham
Sub office - served by a mail coach or cart to and from Winchfield; and one end of two stage coach or omnibus routes to and from Winchfield.

Overton    
Overton
Sub office - on the London and Southampton Railway; and one end of a mounted rural postman's walk and of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Whitchurch.

Petersfield    
Petersfield
Post town - on the Portsmouth Railway; posts by a rural postman's walk and by a mounted rural postman's walk to and from West Meon; and the same to and from Rogate, West Sussex; and by two rural foot postman's walks to and from Harting, West Sussex.

Pokesdown    
Pokesdown, Bournemouth, Dorset
Sub office - one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Boscombe.

Portsmouth    
Portsmouth
Post town - on the Portsmouth Railway; posts by two or three rural foot postman's walks to and from Eastney.

Preston Candover    
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Preston Candover
Sub office - one end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Basingstoke.

Ringwood    
Ringwood
Post town - on the Southampton and Dorchester Railway; one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Christchurch.

Romsey    
Romsey
Post town - on the Eastleigh to Salisbury branch railway, and the Andover and Redbridge Railway; one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Eastleigh.

Shutter Mill    
Shottermill, Surrey
On the Portsmouth Railway; on a mail coach or cart route Greatham to and from Haslemer, Surrey via Liphook; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Fernhurst, West Sussex.

Southampton    
Southampton
Post town - on the London and Southampton Railway, Southamptonm and Netley railway, and the Southampton and Dorchester Railway; posts by mail coach or cart to and from Salisbury via Totton; to and from Beaulieu via Totton etc, to and from Netley Abbey; and to and from Warnford via Bishops Waltham; and one end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Totton.

Stockbridge    
Stockbridge
Sub office - on the Andover and Redbridge Railway; posts by mail coach or cart to and from Middle Wallop via Broughton; one end of a rural foot postman's walk to Middle wallop via Broughton; and of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Kings Somborne; and on a mail coach or cart route to and from Winchester.

Strathfieldsaye    
Stratfield Saye
Sub office - one end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Mortimer, Berkshire.

Sutton Scotney    
Sutton Scotney, Wonston
Sub office - one end of a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Micheldever Station.

Titchfield    
Titchfield, Fareham
Sub office - on two mail coach or cart routes to and from Fareham.

Totton    
Totton, Totton and Eling
Sub office - on mail coach or cart routes Southampton to and from Beaulieu, and to and from Salisbury; and one end of two rural foot postman's walks to and from Southampton.

Twyford    
Twyford
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Winchester to and from Hursley; and on a rural foot postman's walk Winchester to and from Hursley.

Warnford    
Warnford
Sub office - one end of a mail coach or cart route to and from Southampton via Botley, Bishops Waltham and Droxford; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Droxford or Bishops Waltham.

Waterloo Ville    
Waterlooville, Havant
Sub office - on two mail coach or cart routes Cosham to and from Horndean, and to and from Hambledon.

West Meon    
West Meon, Westmeon
Sub office - one end of a mounted rural postman's walk to and from Petersfield; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Petersfield.

Weyhill    
Weyhill, Penton Grafton
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route to and from Andover, perhaps to and from Amport via Abbots Ann; one end of a rural foot postman's walk Andover to and from Amport and Abbots Ann; and on rural foot postman's walks to and from Ludgershall, Wiltshire, and to and from Chute Standen, Wiltshire.

Whitchurch    
Whitchurch
Sub office - on the Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway; on a mail coach or cart route Newbury, Berkshire to and from Micheldever Station; posts by mounted and foot rural postman's walks to and from Overton; and by two two rural foot postman's walks to and from Long Parish.

Wickham    
Wickham
Sub office - one end of two mounted rural postman's walks to and from Fareham.

Winchester    
Winchester
Post town - on the London and Southampton Railway, amd Mid Hants, Alton Lines, Railway; posts by mail coach or cart to and from Stockbridge, Broughton and Middle Wallop; by two tricycle post routes to and from Kings Worthy; by mail coach or cart routes to and from Hursley via Twyford; and one end of a rural foot postman's walk to and from Hursley via Twyford.

Winchfield    
Winchfield
Post town - on the London and Southampton Railway; posts by mounted rural postman's walks to and from Hartford Bridge, to and from Fleet, and to and from Odiham; by mail coach or cart to and from Odiham; by rural foot postamn's walks to and from Hook via Hartford Bridge, and to and from Fleet.

Woolstone    
Woolston, Southampton
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Southampton to and from Netley Abbey via Bittern.

Woolton Hill    
Woolton Hill, East Woodhay
Sub office - on a mail coach or cart route Newbury, Berkshire to and from North End.

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