Commonwealth N/A

The Commonwealth was the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, were ruled as a republic following the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execution of Charles I. The republic was declared through an act adopted by the Rump Parliament on 19 May 1649. In 1653, after the forcible dissolution of the Rump Parliament, the Army Council adopted the Instrument of Government which made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of a united "Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland", inaugurating the period now usually known as the Protectorate.

On Cromwell’s death in 1658, his son Richard Cromwell assumed power until the Protectorate Parliament was dissolved in 1659, and the Rump Parliament recalled, starting the process that led ultimately to the Restoration of the monarchy – a period referred to as the Interregnum.

Stamp(s) Stamp Information
Commonwealth (Stamp 1) Title: Commonwealth (Stamp 1)
Arms: Two shields, dexter, cross of St. George; sinister, Ireland
Dimensions (height x width): 70mm x 50mm
Heraldic Charges: cross, Heraldic Charges: Ireland