Post Office GPO Square Seal, Image & Found by Stephen Eves.
Found in Saxmundham, Suffolk, 19 x 18mm.
Standard General Post Office square bag seal with (SAX)MUND / HAM on one side and blank on the other.
In 1911 the post office replaced wax seals used in smaller post office regions with lead ones for sealing letter and parcel sacks (lead seals were used in the the larger post offices probably since Charles I opened up his royal mail to the public in 1635, Oliver Cromwell established the General Post Office in 1657). In 1916 they made the seals thinner reducing the amount of lead by 19% thus saving £1,770 per annum. The Post Office Controller of Stores supplied the lead to the seal manufacturers directly. These manufacturers at the time were, Dunham White & Co Ltd., J.N.Lyons Ltd., The Lead Seal Manufacturing Co. and Walkens, Parker & Co. Ltd. (This information was gathered from The British Postal Museum & Archive, Freeling House, Pheonix Place, London). Here are records of contracts for lead seals to from Acme Lead Seal Co. and The Lead Seal Manufacturing Co.
The use of wax seals by the Post Office prior to 1905 is confirmed by the following quote, "Even in the heating of the wax used in sealing the mail bags electricity is brought into use. The wax is placed in small copper pans which rest on electrical hot plates." HIS MAJESTY'S MAILS, Edward Bennet, p.94 in Britain At Work - a pictorial description of our national industries, pp.89-95, (1905) Publisher: Cassel and Company Limited, London. (Information provided by Darron Barnes)
