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WEST INDIES MARITIME MAIL - THE FALMOUTH PACKET

The first packet service to the West Indies was organised by Edward Dummer in 1702 but the
effort involved had bankrupted him by 1711. From then until 1745 there was no packet service and
from 1745 to 1765 it was very' irregular. From 1765 until 1842 there was a consistent service when not
interrupted by the frequent wars.
Originally there was one packet a month, then by 1790 two. Both initially called at Barbados;
one then went straight to Jamaica, the other worked its way up the Windward and Leew ard chain of
islands before returning home. In 1826 a third packet to Mexico was added. These were supplemented
by small sailing vessels and eventually small steamers locally hired in the West Indies - at their peak
there w ere 7 different routes.
The original packets were owned and manned in Falmouth and were contracted under very
specific terms to the Post Office. They were designed for speed and were specifically instructed to
avoid a fight if at all possible. Then in 1823, faced with a shortage of career appointments for young
officers the Admiralty' took over the service and progressively replaced the existing packets with 10
gun brigs. The service closed and was replaced by the Royal Mail Steam Packet in 1842.
The exhibit begins with an entire carried by the Dummer packet. The next 9 sheets show
marks applied in the West Indies. Periods of use are not discrete but the exhibit broadly follows the
sequence of undated straight line, dated straight line, large fleuron, small fleuron and dated tw in arc.
The final 3 sheets show unusual marks & those applied in the U.K. to identify mail from the packet.

Reference : Sailing Packets to the West Indies - Britnor
NB Inform ation on rates is shown in red

An entire written in Antigua on 5th July 1704 addressed to “Mr Van de Bemde at his house in
the Pell Mell, London”. Put on the Dummer packet “Prince” which arrived in Plymouth on 6th
September. Struck with a London Bishop Mark on 9th September and charged the single rate of 9d.