Auction 309-320 - Great Britain 1840–1841 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

1850, 1 d. red, plate 93, lettered CL, Archer Perf. 16, used on cover, from Flurrybridge, Ireland to Inveraray, Scotland, addressed to "Francis Countess of Waldegrave, Inveraray Castle", dated 10 September 1853, prior to the official use, the Archer perforations consistent with Wilkinson Punch Set, Side 2; which matches the Archer Perforating Machine Plain Paper Trial sheet held in the Royal Collection, as well as the block of fifty four offered in this sale; part of backflap missing, however a fine and scarce use; one of seven recorded Archers on cover from Ireland. SG16b = £2'700+. rnRemark: Francis Elizabeth Anne Waldergrave (1821 to 1879), was a noted society heiress and the daughter of the the English tenor opera singer John Braham (1774 to 1856), who became one of Europes leading opera stars and is also remembered for writing "The Death of Nelson".  Inveraray Castle, which is set close to the shores of Loch Fyne, was the setting for the 2012 Christmas episode of "Downton Abbey", being the fictional "Duneagle Castle". Inveraray Castle is also one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.rnProvenance: Stanley Gibbons, 10 November 1978, lot 269.