How Difficult Can It Be? - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to the 97th entry of Postal History Sunday, featured weekly on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you take this link, you can view every edition of Postal History Sunday, starting with this one (the most recent always shows up at the top).  

This time around I am responding to a question from a reader who asked - "You hint that postal rates can be pretty complex sometimes, but you always make it seem pretty simple.  Can you give us an example that shows how complex it can get?"

Well folks - let me first say that I hear the complement in the question.  Thank you (you know who you are).  For those of you who often read this blog post because it doesn't get too deep into the weeds, this one will be an example of exactly HOW DEEP Rob can get into those weeds.  

---------------------------------

The postal history of Italy during the process of unification is either a headache or a pleasure depending on my mood.  If I am looking for an opportunity to work with nice neat boxes and categories, this isn't it.  On the other hand, if I take a long view that I enjoy complex puzzles and learning different histories in ways that go beyond the surface description, I can't ask for a much better area.

The other thing that appeals to me about postal history of the Roman States is the simple fact that I never thought I would even see these stamps, much less be the caretaker for postal artifacts bearing them.  As a youth, at least one, if not two, of these designs would show up in stamp albums printed for collectors or other philatelic publications.  It turns out that some of the more "common" examples of postal history bearing these stamps are quite affordable and readily available if you are so inclined.  Nonetheless, I still get a bit of a thrill looking at these because I do still have the 'kid' in me that is surprised to be looking at them in person!

Monetary System:

I tend to focus on the mail in the 1850s to the mid 1870s, and that's where our focus will be with this Postal History Sunday.  So, the first order of business is to get you familiar with the money that was used in the Papal States (Roman States) during this period of time.

1 scudo = 100 bajocchi  (singular is bajocco)
As of July 1866
1 baj = 5 centesimi (Kingdom of Italy currency)

"Distances" in the Papal States
The next thing we need to know is how the postal service in the Papal States split up the territory for which it rendered mail service. 

Now, before I get in too deep, I found this interesting paper that discusses the possibility that Cardinal Antonio Tosti, who served as the General Treasurer from 1834-1845, was - at best - an incompetent treasurer.  The implication there is that, perhaps, Tosti may not have been the best person to come up with a new postage structure.  With that said, perhaps there was a reason this system might be difficult to figure out.

The postal reforms put in place by Cardinal Tosti in 1844 broke the Papal States into three "distances" (you can think of them as districts or regions).  Respected Italian postal historians seem to prefer the term "distances," so I will adhere to that for consistency.

• 1st Distance: Umbria and Lazio/Latium
  
• 2nd Distance: the Marches
• 3rd Distance: Romagna

From the perspective of the Papal State postal system, Romagne was always the "3rd Distance," just as Umbria and Lazio was the "1st Distance."  These were the labels that could be used to determine postal rates.  Of course, these distances were numbered in a way that considered Rome the center - so it was, obviously, in the 1st Distance.

Rayons in Umbria and Lazio/Latium

The 1st Distance was further broken down into three rays (or rayons or directions).  I prefer to use the word rayons as it is consistent with the term also used in Swiss, Belgian, Dutch and German postal history.  Essentially a rayon is a method of assigning a distance component to the postage required for a mailing.  The 1st rayon was closest to the Marches and Romagne, so it would be the shortest travel to get to either of the other "distances" in the Papal States.

To understand a little better why these rayons were designated as they are here, view the amended map below that shows some of the major cities and the major transportation routes.

It should be no surprise that nearly all roads led to Rome.  This, perhaps also explains the term "direction" to identify the rayons in Lazio and Umbria (the 1st Distance) if you consider the transportation options leaving Rome.  It also makes sense that mail from Ancona in the Marches would cost less if it could stop in the first rayon at Feligno, than it would if it had to go to Rome and then Viterbo (3rd rayon).

Postal Departments
The Papal postal services were divided into smaller postal departments.  The line map here was derived from a period Stieler Atlas as the source (ca 1850).  A person should not consider these maps definitive as they may not reflect how the postal services defined their postal departments.  I suspect there exist postal documents that clearly delineate these postal administrations. However, for the purposes of this blog, these maps are sufficient.

Internal Letter Rate within a Papal Distance

Effective rate period: 

With many postal history rates, it is not terribly hard to determine a fairly definite date for the beginning date and ending date for its effective use.  But, when we talk about many of the rate periods for the Italian states during this time, there is a great deal of variability due to upheaval as the many independent states moved towards unification.

The postal history book titled Lire, Soldi, Crazie, Grana e Bajocchi by Mario Mentaschi cites the issue date of the Roman State postage stamps (January 1, 1852) as the effective start date for the postal rates I am describing here.  As of this moment, I have NOT dug further to determine if the rates actually changed at the point of stamp issue or if they are a continuation of Tosti's 1844 reform with no modifications.  Unfortunately, the various resources at my disposal all seem to provide different start dates for the internal rates - so it makes sense that I go with the Italian postal historian's interpretation.

The end date for rates have more to do with the political changes leading up to and as a result of the War of 1859 and the Italian Risorgimento (unification).  For the most part, we'll just say things change in 1859 and address the specifics some other day.

Yes, that's an easy way for Rob to say "I am too tired to figure all of those details out right now and write them out in beautiful prose - and I am guessing most of you don't have a great need for them anyway!"

Letter Rates within a Papal Distance

	Rate	Unit
within postal department	1 bajocco	6 denari (7.1 grams)
with adjacent postal dept	2 bajocchi	6 denari
with non-contiguous dept	3 bajocchi	6 denari
only in 1st Distance
between postal departments that must go through Roman department	4 bajocchi	6 denari
enclaves in Neapolitan Kingdom
treat as 3rd rayon in 1st distance

To clarify the rates, take a look at the postal departments in the Marches (the 2nd Distance - shown above).  Once again, these boundaries are approximations to the actual postal departments of the time.

If someone in Fermo wanted to mail a standard weight letter to someone else in Fermo, they would pay 1 bajocco in postage.  That is the rate within the postal department or post office.

If someone in Fermo wanted to mail a standard weight letter to someone in Macerata or Ascoli, they would pay 2 bajocchi because the letter must be sent to an adjacent postal department.

If that same individual in Fermo wanted to send something to Ancona, Camerino or Urbino/Pesaro, they would have to pay 3 bajocchi because the postal departments are not contiguous (they do not share a border).

But, in all cases, the letter does not leave the Marches.

The exception to the rule was for non-contiguous postal departments in the 1st Distance.  If the letter had to travel via Rome, it cost an extra bajocchi (4 bajocchi per 6 denari). 

Mail Between Romagne and the Marches

If everything were this simple, we would not have to write a blog to outline all of the postage rates in the Papal States.

The rate of letters between Romagne and the Marches (the 3rd and 2nd Distances) was 4 bajocchi for every 6 denari.

Letter Rate between the Marches & Romagne

	Rate	Unit
Between 2nd & 3rd Distances	4 bajocchi	6 denari

Mail to and from Umbria and Lazio/Latium (the distance where Rome is)

Things get a bit more complicated when mail entered or left the 1st Distance from one of the other two distances.   Yep.  I told you this wasn't going to be all that easy.  

Letter Rates from/to First Distance

	Rate	Unit
between 1st Rayon & Marches	4 bajocchi	6 denari (7.1 grams)
between 2nd Rayon & Marches	5 bajocchi	6 denari
between 3rd Rayon & Marches	6 bajocchi	6 denari
between 1st Rayon & Romagne	5 bajocchi	6 denari
between 2nd Rayon & Romagne	6 bajocchi	6 denari
between 3rd Rayon & Romagne	7 bajocchi	6 denari

Assuming you're still with me - let's look at some actual pieces of mail that were mailed 160 to 170 years ago in the Papal States.  Maybe that will interest you more than all of these maps and tables filled with silly postal rates?

Examples of Letter Mail within a Postal Department (Local Letter)

Below is an example of a single sheet item mailed within its own postal administration. The item has been folded outward to show the back side where the 1 baj postage stamp was placed and the "Jesi" marking struck to tie it to the lettersheet.  The "prices current" content is for the period dated July 16 to 31, 1854 and was sent out by the Jesi municipality on August 1.  The destination, Rosora, is also in Ancona province, approximately 25 km WSW of Jesi (also spelled Iesi).  Ancona was a part of the Marches, bordering the Adriatic Sea.

Jesi to Rosora, Province of Ancona - 1 baj due

Unpaid letters were still franked with postage stamps - however, they were placed on the BACK of the item in question.  The numeral "1" on the front indicated that 1 bajocco was due.  If the postage stamp had been placed on the front, it would indicate that the sender had paid the postage.  In this case, the recipient had to pay.

San Ginesio to S. Elpidio via Macerata - 1 baj due

A second item with similar characteristics is datelined (in the letter) as being written Aug 18, 1852 in San Ginesio (Province of Macerata).   The red San Ginesio marking confirms that it entered the postal service at that location. There is a Macerata August 19 marking on the front and the postage is on the back again (the recipient had to pay again!).  The addressee appears to be in S. Elpidio which appears to be in the Province of Fermo, further supported by the "Fermo" notation at the bottom (see below).

Address side of San Ginesio to S. Elpidio item

This item technically crossed to another province, so you could argue that it should have cost 2 bajocchi.  But, this is likely one of those times where the postal boundaries may not match the political boundaries.  Sant'Elpidio a Mare is located on the north side of the Tenne River and is extremely close to the political border between the Fermo and Macerata districts.  From a pure transportation perspective, it might have made more sense to include Sant'Elpidio with the Macerata postal department because you did NOT have to cross the river.

Examples of Letter Mail from/to the First Distance 

3rd Distance to 2nd Rayon of 1st Distance

Romagna (3rd Distance) was about as far from Rome (1st Distance) as one could get in the Papal States.  What follows is an 1857 example of a letter sent from Cento (Province Ferrara in Romagna) via Bolgona (Province Bologna in Romagna) to Rome (Roman Province in Latium / Patrimony of St Peter).  

Rome was in the 2nd Rayon of the 1st Distance.  Cento was in the 3rd Distance. The rate per 6 denari was 6 bajocchi.  We know this letter was prepaid because the stamp is on the front.  Also, the big bold diagonal slash was applied by the Roman post office to indicate that they recognized the letter as fully paid.

6 baj rate from Romagna to Rome

The letter was posted in Cento on June 22 and went from there to Bologna.  It arrived three days later in Rome.

2nd Distance to 2nd Rayon of 1st Distance

This second item was mailed in Fermo (August 11) and bound for Rome (August 13) in 1855.  Ten baj were used to pre-pay this item from the Marches to the Patrimony.  Once again, a diagonal slash indicates that Rome considered the item paid in full AND stamps on the front indicated that the sender had paid postage.

Double 5 baj rate from the Marches to Rome

Once again, Rome resided in the 2nd Rayon of the 1st Distance.  Fermo was in the Marches or the 2nd Distance.  Therefore, a simple, single-rate letter would cost 5 bajocchi.  Apparently, this item had a weight that was greater than 6 denari and no more than 12 denari, so it was rated as a double weight letter.  Ten bajocchi prepaid the letter correctly for its successful travels.

Administrations in Romagne

For the sake of completeness, I include what I understand the postal administrations in Romagne to be in the 1850s.  As with the other maps, they may not perfectly reflect the actual areas covered by each office.  

Hey!  We want to do things right here, don't we?  Or was this just a distraction?  Well, either way, it's here.  You can always skip to the next thing if it bothers you.  It's kind of like reading a book that's full of action and then the author goes off on a four-page description of the trees and the nearby lake.  Meanwhile, the main characters are in suspended animation while we observe the gently swaying branches and their reflection on the water.

You're welcome.  It's a long post and I thought you needed something to break things up.

Internal Letter Rates from January 1864 to 1870

At this time, all districts other than the Patrimony of Rome had become part of the Kingdom of Italy.  The letter rate within the Patrimony was simplified to:

• letter in Rome: 1 bajocco
• letter outside of Rome: 2 bajocchi

Below is an example of a letter sent within the Viterbo Province for the 2 baj rate.  The item in question is only a wrapper with the content page(s) removed prior to my acquisition.

2 baj rate for letter outside of Rome

A partial Viterbo postal marking dated November 6, 1864 is on the front and a nice Civitacastellana marking is on the back (dated Nov 8, 1864).  The official marking reads "Governo Pontificio Segretoriagle della Provincia di Viterbo"  which indicates the letter is from the Papal Government official titled the Secretary of the Province of Viterbo.  Civitacastellano is about 40km Southeast from Viterbo, but the eventual destination was actually Southwest of Civitacastellano.  Castel Sant Elia is still a small commune (between 2000 and 3000 residents) and this wrapper likely held some sort of official correspondence.

2 baj rate East of Rome

The second example of the 2 baj rate is from the "Gonfaloniere" of the city of Ceprano, located on the border of Latium and the Neapolitan Provinces.  A Rome-Ceprano ambulant marking is dated the same (Sep 12, 1865) as the Ceprano marking on the front.  There is also a Frosinone backstamp, likely indicating this is where the item got off of the train heading towards Rome.  Ripi appears to be the intended destination (between Ceprano and Frosinone).

verso showing postmarks

And there you are, an example of how complicated postal rates could be for just a short period of time (the mid 1850s) for a very specific area of the world.  I hope you enjoyed it and that you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come!

Bonus Material:

After viewing the last item, were you left wondering what a gonfaloniere was?  The gonfaloniere was an office dating back to the Renaissance in Papal communes/cities.  Gonfaloniers headed the militia from the various city quarters and the gonfalonier of justice often was the chief of the council of guild representatives. By the 1860's, these offices were often symbolic though the possessor of the title may well have held some power in city governance, depending on the community.

And now you know!

Resources:

Mentaschi, Mario -  Lire, Soldi, Crazie, Grana e Bajocchi (published by Vaccari in 2003).

     This book is in Italian with some translation to English at the chapter introductions.  This book expands on the exhibit with reasonable amounts of helpful text to explain political situations, rates and routes.

Vatican Philatelic Society
     It's a slow loading page for me at least.  There are some decent introductory materials there, but again it is not intended to have a focus for the period I am most interested in.  A Vatican area collector will probably enjoy the site.

Mario Mentaschi Exhibit
     The exhibit shown here appears to be a 1989 version.  

 Postal Tariffs of the Italian Area: 1850-1985 Colin Pilkington, ed. for Fil-Italia Handbooks, 1985
     While this book has what seems like solid information regarding rates from the General Postal Union on, it left me wondering about accuracy with earlier rates.  There seems to be more solid ground with the Kingdom of Italy rates starting in 1863, though it glosses entirely over any foreign rates prior to GPU/UPU.  The Italian State rate sections  suffer from over-simplification of the territories and timelines and the explanations for the internal rates of the Papal States are misleading.

Richard Frajola's "World" collection of postal history
     This is a thoroughly enjoyable exhibit showing material from 1840-1860 with a focus on internal letter rates.  As is true with most exhibits, there are cited dates, rates and routes, but the sources are not usually referenced.