Joined head post offices
On 1 July 1854, the Post Office introduced another type of local postage rate for mail circulating between 2 head post offices (called Recettes in 1863). These post offices had to be adjacent to each other and the mail flow had to be substantial. This rate was none other than the local rate applied to two neighbouring Postal Districts. It was only extended to 39 provincial head post offices. In the French Post Office's vocabulary, the most important office is called the "Direction principale" (main head post office), and the least important office is called the "Direction annexe" (annex head post office).
In the Nord, there were 2 cases of joined head post offices:
- between the LILLE, WAZEMMES and MOULINLILLE post offices (until May 1859)
- between VALENCIENNES and ANZIN until the end of the local postage rates (end of April 1878).