Commercial Overprint Society of Great Britain
Vol. 2 No. 1; July 1, 2004
Bradford Corporation
by Michael Behm
Today Bradford is a city of about half a million inhabitants and merits inclusion in a web site that depicts "the most picturesque parts of England."
Such was not always the case.
In the middle of the 18th century, Bradford, West Yorkshire was "a mere cluster of huts." Long a center for textiles, Bradford's importance rose in 1774 as it was connected on a new canal that ran from Leeds to Liverpool. With this improved transportation and the coming of the Industrial Revolution, six wool mills had been built by the end of the 18th century.
With the introduction of the steam engine to drive machinery, the number of mills in Bradford increased to over 200. As a result, "Fortunes have been made in Bradford with a rapidity almost unequalled even in the manufacturing districts." The mills brought work, and the work brought people: the town grew from 26,000 in 1801 to 106,000 in 1861. More transportation infrastructure was required, resulting in the opening of the Leeds & Bradford Railway in 1846. By 1861, three-quarters of the inhabitants had not been born in Bradford.
However, these factories produced black, sulphurous smoke six days per week, making Bradford the most polluted town in England. The rapidly expanding population caused a terrible strain on the sewage system; there were regular outbreaks of cholera and typhoid. Life expectancy in 1837 was less than 19 years—one of the lowest in the country.
Use of commercial overprints in Bradford began at least as early as 1880. There are a variety of overprint types and colors:
| Sample | Known Issues | Sample | Known Issues |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
F19 |  |
F19, 172 |
 |
172 | (as to left, in black) | 219 |
 |
465, 488 |  |
442 |
 |
421 |  |
442, 465 |
 |
488, 506, 518, 543, 543b, 573, 613, 613a, 726, 727 |  |
219 |
The Bradford Corporation used overprints for water receipts and for payments to the Electricity Department.
Government offices such as the Bradford Overseers were described in COSGB Newsletter #4.
Resources
- Medieval British Towns: Bradford
- Pictures of England: Bradford
- Bonney, J., and Lane, D.; A Catalogue of British Commercial Overprints: Local Government
Send comments or questions to mjbehm@kw.igs.net