Free Front Signature Database: April 2014

Monday 28 April 2014

Similar Signatures

There are a number of free fronts which are commonly mistaken for one another, none more so than the following two examples. When viewed in isolation it can be seen how they could be confused but when seen together as below there are a number of marked differences.

General Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Quarter-Master General to the Forces 1811 - 1851 - MP for Launceston 1829 - 1831

Vice-Admiral William Gordon - MP for Aberdeenshire 1820 -1854

On close inspection the 'J' which precedes the 'W' on Sir James Willoughby Gordon's signature (top) makes a third vertical line preceding the 'Gordon' part of the signature whereas in the case of William Gordon (bottom) there are only two such vertical lines. Other giveaways include the heavy underlining of Sir James Willoughby Gordon's signature as well as elsewhere on the envelope front (top). Another giveaway is if William Gordon's front is sent from Aberdeen, although this example is sent from London a great many examples that I've seen are addressed from Aberdeen. Usually the dates of course are another key clue in correctly identifying the signature, however in this case the two men were in office at the same time as one another for a very long time, from 1820 to 1851 in fact. Clearly though an example prior to 1820 is likely to be that of Sir James Willoughby Gordon and similarly one dated after 1851 couldn't be his.

Introduction & Aims

Welcome to my blog dedicated to the deciphering of signatures from free fronts, also known as free franks. Free front is the term given to the front of an envelope to which the privilege of free postage was given, which was cut out and collected mainly by Victorian ladies and pasted into albums. The reason they were so collectable was because in order to use the privilege those who were entitled to it had to address, date and most importantly sign the envelope, usually in the bottom left corner. The people who were entitled to the privilege were either peers with a seat in the House of Lords, members of parliament, bishops or holders of high office in government, including the army and the navy.

In more recent times collectors have fallen into two groups, those like myself who collect the signatures as autographs and the stamp collectors who are more interested in the franks and the postal history. Although the privilege began as early as the 17th century, it is from the first four decades of the 19th century that most of the fronts come, the privilege ending with the introduction of the postage stamp in January 1840.

I personally was originally drawn to free fronts due to my interest in the Napoleonic Wars and with so many of the senior officers of both the army and the navy also being MP's, peers or officials, I realised it was possible to amass quite a large collection of fronts with the signatures of veterans of for example, Waterloo or Trafalgar. With so many people being entitled to the free franking privilege over so long a period of time it was necessary to specialise in order to have a manageable and affordable collection.

It's not just the signature though, much of my interest is in deciphering the signature and researching the biography of not just the sender but also the recipient, as this is often an interesting reflection on the relationships of the people. For example I have a front from the Duke of Wellington to Sir David Wilkie, the artist who painted the Dukes portrait.

My aim with this website is to carry a database of deciphered signatures, which I hope to continuously update, to point out some commonly seen errors and to hopefully generate some interest and debate from like minded people.

Martyn