South Eastern & Chatham Railway (GB)
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC), known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway (SER) and London, Chatham & Dover Railway (LC&DR), which operated between London and south-east England. Between 1899 and 1923, the SE&CR had a monopoly of railway services in Kent and to the main Channel ports for ferries to France and Belgium.
The companies had competed extensively, with some of the bitterest conflicts between British railway companies. Competing routes to the same destinations were built, so several towns in Kent had been served with a similar frequency service by both companies. In places open, unfettered competition allowed two stations and services to multiple London termini.
By the end of the 19th century, the SER and LC&DR had fought over a small and not particularly lucrative territory for 40 years. Both were notorious for the poor punctuality of their services and the decrepitude of their rolling stock, and the struggles had driven both companies to the verge of bankruptcy. It became inevitable that they must combine or succumb.
The SE&CR was formed on 1 January 1899, when the SER and LC&DR formed a "management committee" comprising the directors of both companies. This merged the two companies' operations, although they remained legally separate, with receipts split 59% to SER and 41% LC&DR until the Grouping, to avoid the costs and risks of a formal merger.
One way to derive revenue from the cross-channel route was to run their own steamers.
Contents
SE&CR Postal History
SE&CR Stamps
Railway Letter Stamps
The First issue, made shortly after the South Eastern and London, Chatham & Dover combined was inscribed "S.E.&C.&D. Railway". Thereafter the term "South Eastern & Chatham" was used. Twenty-six printings of the 2d green were listed by Jackson. Summary:
printing | date | colour | controls | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 Jun 1899 | green; olive green | 1-10000 | horiz in black |
2 | 11 Jun 1900 | green | 10001-20000 | small horiz figures below value |
3 | 19 Aug 1901 | dark green | 20001-30000 | large figures across centre |
4 | Sep 1902 | green | 30001-40000 | large figures |
5 | Dec 1903 | yellowish green; grey green | 40001-50000 | large figures |
6 | 10 Oct 1904 | dull green to green | 50001-60020 | small figures |
7 | Jul 1905 | yellowish green to pale yellowish green | 60021-69020 | small figures |
8 | May 1906 | dull bluish green | 69021-70040 | medium figures |
9 | end May 1906 | pale green | 70011-80000 | small figures |
10 | Mar 1907 | bright green | 80001-86060 | figures vertical on right |
10A | Mar 1907 | pale grey-green | 88761-90000 | figures vertical on left |
11 | Jan 1908 | greyish-green | 90001-100000 | medium horiz figures |
12 | Nov 1908 | yellowish green | 1-10000 | sheet figures read right to left |
13 | Sep 1909 | bright green | 10001-20000 | medium figures |
14 | May 1910 | bright green | 20001-30000 | medium figures |
15 | Dec 1910 | light green | 30001-40000 | medium figures |
16 | 1911 | light yellowish green | 40001-50000 | medium figures |
17 | 1912 | yellowish green | 50001-60000 | |
18 | 1914 | light greenish yellow | 60001-70000 | medium figures |
19 | 1914 | light yellowish green | 70001-80000 | medium horiz figures |
20 | 1914 | light yellowish-green | 80001-90000 | medium horiz figures |
21 | 1915 | lemon-yellow | 90001-100000 | stamps worn |
22 | 1916 | bright yellow-green | 1-10000 | horiz |
23 | 1918 | yellowish green | 10001-20000 | horiz |
24 | 191? | yellowish green | 20001-30000 | horiz figures |
25 | 1919 | pale yellowish-green | 30001-40000 | horiz figures |
26 | 1919 | pale yellow-green | 40001-50660 or more | Only 50643 recorded |
Jackson notes examples of printing 25 known without control overprint.
Further values:
printing | date | details | controls | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
27 | 15 Jan 1920 | 3d on 2d printing 25 | 38104 - 39105 | opt in blue |
28 | 1920 | 3d bright & dull yellowish green | 1 - 3000 | |
29 | 1 Sep 1920 | 4d on 3d remainder of printing 28 | 3001-10000 | |
30 | 1920 | 4d yellowish green | 10001 - 20000 | |
31 | 1923 | 4d yellowish green; grey green | 20001 - 30000 | |
32 | 1924 | 4d yellow green | 30001 - 40000 |
Railway Parcel Stamps
1915 onwards
These were produced for, it would seem, every station the company ran. Shown here is only one of each value with a listing below of place & date (if discernable). The major terminals & junctions (Ashford, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Holborn Viaduct and Victoria) often had a letter (A-H) before the value.
1d Sandwich 20 Dec 1918, Holborn Viaduct
2d Broadstairs 19 Dec 1917, Cannon Street, Faversham 27 Apr 1917, Gravesend Central 19 Jul? 1916, Holborn Viaduct, Sandwich
3d Ashford (A) 3 Nov 1916, Ashford (B) 1 May 1917 & 31 Aug 1917, Folkestone Junct. 22 Oct 1920, Holborn Viaduct, Queenborough 12 Apr 1930, Snodland 16 Oct 1915
4d Birchington-on-sea 12 Nov 1917, Canterbury East 8 Jun 1918, Faversham 6 Mar 1928, Newington 20 Jun 1918, Northfleet
5d Cannon Street (B), Elephant & Castle 1 Dec 1919, Rye 23 Aug 1918, Victoria (A)
6d Ashford (A) 20 Nov 1919, Ashford (B) 22 Feb 1918, Canterbury East, Maidstone West 20 Sep 1917, Margate West
7d Chatham (Main Line), Holborn Viaduct
8d Ashford (A), Cannon Street (B), Cannon Street (E), Margate Sands, Victoria (B)
9d Cannon Street(A), Cannon Street (E), Holborn Viaduct (B), Holborn Viaduct (C), Margate West, Snodland
10d Cannon Street (E)
11d Cannon Street (E), Hlborn Viaduct (C), Holborn Viaduct (D)
1s Cannon Street (B), Charing Cross, Holborn Viaduct, Margate Sands, Sandwich, Tonbridge, Victoria (B)
1s3d Hastings, Holborn Viaduct (D), Ladywell, Victoria (B)
2s Charing Cross (D), Headcorn, Holborn Viaduct (A), Lewisham Junction, Snodland
2s6d Hastings
3s Cannon Street (H)
5s Cannon Street (H), Faversham 28 Feb 1924, Folkestone Junction 22 Oct 1920, Holborn Viaduct (A), Victoria (B), Well Hall
10s Holborn Viaduct (D)
Usual method of use:
Newspaper Stamps
Various values in blue with red controls.
Black control.
L'Estrange Ewen recorded the 1d only with no control number.
Value in red with black control
Value in red with black control overprinted on red control
Farm Products Stamps
A. Johnson, in Railway Philately (vol 3, no 2, March 1969, p48) records that these stamps were prepared in sheets of 20 (5x4) and each printing was of 10,000 stamps.
- H. L'Estrange Ewen "No1. Priced Catalogue of the Newspaper and Parcel Stamps Issued by the Railway Companies of the United Kingdom, 1855-1906", Ewen's Colonial Stamp Market Ltd, London, 1906 (reprinted by Tim Clutterbuck & Co, Kington, 1983)