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Telegraph stamps of the World Click here for a site-map.

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Up a level							Not my site, but a good reference:
GB	Ceylon	Hong Kong	India	Jamaica	Natal	OFS	Australia and states
Up a level							by Dave Elsmore.
Other Africa	Sarawak	Sudan	Transvaal	Uganda	New South Wales	Western Australia	Other Australia

Jamaica

Steve Hiscocks wrote:
These are amongst the more common of the British Commonwealth telegraph stamps and were in use from 1879 to 1905. Used copies are
normally cancelled with a box slightly smaller than the 1/- stamp and with bevelled corners. This is horizontally divided into three with the date in the
centre portion, Jamaica Telegraphs in two lines above, and the place of use below. An additional 'CANCELLED' is sometimes found. All those I have
seen are in black. Copies are also found postally used although this use was not in fact authorized as was that of fiscal stamps. Various specimens,
proofs, etc., appear on the market from time to time.

According to atlantic-Cable.com, from 1870-73 cables for the West India & Panama Telegraph Co. were laid accordingly:
Santiago de Cuba → Holland Bay, Jamaica → Colon, Panama
Jamaica → San Juan, Puerto Rico → St. Thomas → St. Kitts → Antigua
Guadeloupe → Dominica → Martinique → St. Lucia → St. Vincent → Barbados.
St. Vincent → Grenada → Trinidad → British Guiana.

A list of 1906 for wireless-Telegraph stations lists nothing for Jamaica.
A similar list for 1910 shows Kingston having one installation, belonging to the West India Cable Co.

The map below show the early cable connections to Jamaica. Holland Bay had an overland connection to Kingston. I have no information about the route used.
In most countries, overland telegraphs are laid by the side of the railway. Though Jamaica had a rail system from early days, it went nowhere near Holland Bay.
It is likely that it therefore followed existing roads/trackways. Telegraph cancels from places marked in green would be of interest.


Much of the early railway history is detailed in a PDF document at History of Railroads in Jamaica.pdf. A Government page at Jamaica-railway-corp mentions 55.5 km of rail track linking the US Air Base in Vernamfield, Clarendon in 1900, and also
"The discovery of bauxite deposits in the 1940s, brought about the relative need to utilized railway as the preferred mode of transporting the bauxite extract to be processed and shipped."

1879 - De La Rue, Typographed on white or bluish paper. Perf. 14

Type-1	Type-2

Wmk Crown/CC Hisc. Description Mint Used H1 3d lilac (shades) 25.00 10.00 H2 1s pale purple brown (shades)   20.00 3.50 H2a         on bluish paper 50.00 10.00 H2b         brown-purple 15.00 3.50

1889 Wmk Crown/CA (sideways-inverted) Hisc. Description Mint Used H3 3d lilac (shades)   15.00 5.00

1904 Wmk Multiple Crown/CA Hisc. Description Mint Used H4 3d lilac (shades)   50.00 25.00

Hiscocks added the following 2 notes:

My note: I have 5 examples of the 3d stamp. They are all watermarked Crown CA sideways-inverted.

Normal Telegraphic usage.

Historically, worldwide, when a stamp was first attached to a telegraph form it would immediately be cancelled, often with just the stroke of a pen.
When the telegram was sent it would again be cancelled, generally with a dated office stamp.
At a later date there may have been an auditor inspection entailing a further mark, but not necessarily on the stamp.
The details varied from place to place and simplified over time. Corners were often cut.
The used form would be stored for a number of years, in case of complaints regarding delays or accuracy, then destroyed by burning or pulping.
The contents of the telegram were regarded as secret or privileged information, so stamps used on them should not normally survive.
Acts of war, crime, carelessness or private telegraph companies going out of business were the usual causes.

     
Early and later type of Kingston cancel. The order of day and month appears to be variable.
The later type date from 1902 or earlier.

Kingston	Port Antonio	(November backwards)	Half Way Tree in violet

   
"CANCELLED" marks also found on stamps of this period.

Manchioneal	Montigo Bay	Port Maria

1900, Annotto Bay, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1900, Browns Town, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1891, May Pen	1892, Milk River, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

1900, Kingston, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1879, Linstead, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1894, Montego Bay, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1889, Morant Bay, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

Port Antonio	Port Maria	1879 St.Anns Bay, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1889 Spanish Town Bay, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

1894, Ulster Spring, courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	"CANCELLED" come in many types

Telegraph cancels on King George V. Postage Stamps.

 
"CANCELLED" marks found on stamps of this period.

5s 1905-11 series.	2d and 2½d of 1912-20 series. "CANCELLED"		3d Kingston Telegraph CDS	4d "CANCELLED"

The stamps above on a white background are courtesy of Bram Leeflang, the others are mine.

6d with the Kingston Telegraph CDS + "CANCELLED"		6d used in Malvern (not railway).	1s and 2s with different "CANCELLED"s.

1916 1½d War Stamp	1916 3d War Stamp - Mandeville	1919 3d War Stamp, courtesy Bram Leeflang.

1921 3d courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	1921 6d - Mandeville courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	2s - Lucea courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

Telegraph cancels on King George VI. Postage Stamps.

   
"CANCELLED" marks found on stamps of this period.

	1938-52 series with 7mm high boxed "CANCELLED" courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

As before, the 1945-6 series mostly has 7mm high boxed "CANCELLED", but a 4½d below has 12mm with square corners. Images courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

Postal cancels on Telegraph Stamps.

Port Royal and Half-Way-Tree (a little north of Kingston) on 3d stamps.

Port Morant and Kingston postal on Shilling stamps.

Use of mixed Telegraph and Postage stamps used postally in 1897 :
 
It would seem that the distinction between Telegraph stamps and Postage stamps was not rigidly enforced.

Stationery.

The following are from 1/- Telegraph forms (known cancels dated in 1892).

Port Antonio 29 August 1892	Old Harbour 25 August 1892	Black River 4 July 1892
Courtesy of Richard Ross.	Courtesy of Richard Ross.	Courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

Morant Bay 17 August 1892	Kingston 25 August 1892	Port Royal (in red) 23 January 1892
Courtesy of Richard Ross.	Courtesy of Richard Ross.	Courtesy of Bram Leeflang.

The Official forms are different, being darker and not apparently needing space for extra stamps. 1/- covered 20 words, with 3d for each additional 5 words.

An Official used at SantaCruz 9.6km north of Malvern	16 August 1892, "SAV.LA MAR", standing for Savanna la Mar on the south coast over to the west
Courtesy of Bram Leeflang.	courtesy of I.B RedGuy.

A complete Official form, though in a different, perhaps later or earlier colour. The known ones are all from 1892. The bottom-right says "See Over", but I have no image of the back. Image courtesy of Steve Drewett.

Comments, criticisms, information or suggestions are always welcome.

Please include the word 'Telegraphs' in the subject.

Last updated 17th. September 2026

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