A Property Dispute Involving an Earl, an Admiral and a Mystery Claimant
This entire (meaning a folded letter-sheet) was sent in April 1842 from solicitor James Burn of Edinburgh to solicitors Russel & Aitken of Falkirk.
The address reads Messrs Russel & Aitken, Writers,
Falkirk. “Writers” is an abbreviation for “Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s
Signet”, a private society of Scottish solicitors formed in 1594 that still
exists. The abbreviation “WS” can be seen after solicitor’s names in the letter,
and members of the Society still use the letters today.
The stamp is SG8, 1d red-brown imperforate, issued in late
1841. It is cancelled with an Edinburgh Maltese Cross (this stamp was illustrated in my Marcophily blog)
