The Canceller Stamp of Bobcaygeon
As a historian, I take great pleasure in exploring minute details of history. There are things that get overlooked that gain new life through research. This virtual exhibit showcases one such thing. Let's explore the Bobcaygeon Post Office Town Canceller.
The Bobcaygeon Post Office formed on April 1st, 1853. It formed under the direction of its postmaster General, Mossom Boyd.
Back then, a post office functioned much like today, with a few differences. Oftentimes, they were located at the back of a General Store (much like how many post office locations can now be found at the back of a Shoppers Drug Mart!). Unlike the modern day bustle of the digital age, post offices in the 1800s were more analog. The letters delivered by horses. Packages weighed using mechanical scales. Envelopes stamped by hand.
The town canceller is an ink stamp placed on a letter delivered to the post office. Its intended purpose is to mark the postage used on the letter so people couldn't use it again. The canceller consisted of the name of the town that received the letter, as well as the date and time.
The usage of these cancellers has changed over the years. In the early stages of the post office, postal clerks stamped these cancels by hand or with a hammer. The stamp got dipped in ink and pressed onto the envelope by hand or a mallet to leave the impression. Nowadays, postal clerks administer cancels via a machine!
Bobcaygeon’s post office is one of a few unique post offices to use what's known as the “squared circle” cancel. Over the years, Bobcaygeon’s town canceller has progressed. It began as the “part of one circle” design in 1881. This led to the “circular ring” design in 1896. It then arrived at the “squared circle” design in 1897, which stayed in use until 1902. Unlike most other designs, the squared circle was a square of black bars. In the middle, there was a circle containing the town’s relevant information. Unlike other cancellers, the squared circle canceller had a large printing surface. Some postal clerks found it required some force to stamp a clear postmark. This likely led to its short-lived use.
This explains why Bobcaygeon, Schreiber, ON, and Nanaimo B.C. modified the design. They designed what they called the “cut down version.” They rounded off the black bars that form the square to form a ring of black lines around the town information. This cut down version was easier to work with. Bobcaygeon's post office used it until 1960. During a Christmas rush, it broke and, and the postal clerk sent it away for repairs.
At one time, there were more than 250 “squared circle” canceller hammers in use in Canada. We only know 3 to have used the “cut down” version. The hand-cut letters of the hammer lead to unique variations in every hammer. This solidifies the squared circle canceller as an interesting piece.
The last surviving “cut down” canceller hammer is in the National Postal Museum in Ottawa. Most believe the Bobcaygeon and Schreiber hammers to be lost or destroyed.
Liam Parker
