St Helena

The remote island of St Helena lies in the South Atlantic Ocean between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn.  The island covers an area of approximately 47 square miles and was discovered by the Portuguese in May 1502.  In 1659 the East India Company decided to settle this uninhabited island, and on 5th May 1659 Captain John Dutton landed on the island.  Charles II in 1661 after the restoration of the monarchy granted the India Company a charter to formally settle and fortify the island.

The East India Company held the island until 1834 when the island was ceded to the Crown and thus became a Crown Colony.  A post office was opened on the island in 1815 providing a Packet Mail service, but closed in 1819 probably due to the very high Packet rate of 3/6d plus UK inland postage.  During the closed post office period mail was sent at half the India Letter Rate plus UK inland charges. St Helena’s post office reopened on 1st April 1839, but it was not until 1st January 1856 that it had its first postage stamp issue, a single 6d value for postage to the UK.

Until 2016 the only method of getting to this remote island was by sea, but with the opening of the islands airport it is possible to fly from Johannesburg or Cape Town.  St Helena is no longer classed as a Crown Colony, but is a BOT (British Overseas Territory).  This change took place in 2002.

For further information on St Helena stamps and postal history, including further reading, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_and_postal_history_of_Saint_Helena

Here is the link to Cameo no 69 which contains John Knight's article on ships calling at St Helena in 1826.