Board of Inland Revenue: Office of Director of Stamping: Registered Files

These records of the Office of Director of Stamping relate mainly to arrangements for the manufacture, control etc. of postage stamps, medicine duty stamps, revenue and fee stamps and currency notes. Other files concern machinery and equipment and staffing and accommodation of the stamping department.

Files are arranged in file number order under the references and headings given to them by the department.

Topics

Manufacturing

Taxation

Banking

The Office of the Director of Stamping was the oldest branch within the Inland Revenue until its merger with the Office of the Controller of Stamps in 1975: the former's register of stamps dates back to the year 1710. The Director of Stamping was responsible for the administration of many, now extinct, duties and fees payable in the form of stamps or labels, such as those on post horses, table water or patent medicines. He was also responsible for the manufacture of all postage stamps used in this country from 1840 to 1914, when this task was transferred to the Post Office, and he was charged with the production of Treasury notes from 1914 to 1928, when they were superseded by Bank of England notes. The manufacture of stamps (eg unemployment and national health insurance stamps) was undertaken on behalf of other government departments, while postage and other stamps were produced for Colonial or Commonwealth Governments, such as those of India and Jamaica.