Robert Monsey Rolfe of Holwood House, Bromley, 18 December 1790 - 26 July 1868. Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth, 1832-39. Styled Sir Robert Rolfe 1835, Baron Cranworth, 1850. AN ORIGINAL PRE 1840 FREE FRONT; BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY FREE FRANK PANEL.
London: Houses of Parliament, Pre 1840. Very Good Condition. Item #365946
Free franks are hand stamped British parliamentary mail, issued from the 1650s to 1840. The free franking privilege was removed from parliamentarians in 1840 when Rowland Hill's postal reforms brought the postage stamp into use. Free franking had been intended to allow MPs to send letters free of charge, but the system was abused by MPs and fell into disrepute due to being used by friends and business associates of the Members. During the early 19th Century there was a mania for collecting these panels, which was accomplished by cutting the address panel from the envelope. The Free Front here is presented with a neatly prepared A4 data-sheet showing the details of the MP it is connected with. Category: Ephemera; Free Frank Panels.
Keywords: BZDB395 Ephemera; Free Frank Panels. Sir Robert Rolfe : AN ORIGINAL PRE 1840 FREE FRONT; BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY FREE FRANK PANEL. Robert Monsey Rolfe of Holwood House, Bromley, 18 December 1790 - 26 July 1868. Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmo
Price: £14.95