Winter Charles Renouf

Winter Charles Renouf CIE (5 March 1868 – 28 June 1954) was a British member of the Indian Civil Service who specialised in agriculture. He was also a justice of the peace in India, official member of the Central Legislative Assembly, and political agent at Bahawalpur. In 1921, he was president of the Cantonment Reforms Committee set up by the Government of India. He retired in 1922.

Renouf was a noted philatelist who was one of the first to take an interest in early Indian postal markings and British Indian stamps used abroad. He edited The Philatelic Journal of India and was Hon. Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of India. In 1921, he signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. His philatelic work was continued by Jal Cooper and his classification system of Indian postal markings continues to be referred to as "Renouf types".

Early life and family Winter Renouf was born on 5 March 1868 in St Helier, Jersey, in the Channel Islands. His father, Francis G. Renouf, was a mathematician and a master mariner, and his mother was Elizabeth J. Renouf (née Vardon). He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey, before attending Wren and Gurney's preparatory school in London from where he won a scholarship to Christ Church, University of Oxford. He passed the examination of the Indian Civil Service in 1887 in second place.

Renouf married Ellie Marion (née Sheeu) on 14 November 1893, at Rawalpindi. Their best man was Mr O'Dwyer. He served in the Punjab as assistant commissioner at Murree. In 1892 he was appointed Justice of the Peace He was an official member of the Central Legislative Assembly and political agent at Bahawalpur. before retiring the following year. His work on early Indian cancellations was expanded and re-written as an appendix to volume three (Asia) of Robson Lowe's The Encyclopaedia of British Empire Postage Stamps 1775-1950.

In an obituary in 1954, Jal Cooper, whose philatelic interests coincided with Renouf's and who continued his work, described Renouf as one of the "stalwarts" of early Indian philately. His Indian collection was auctioned by Robson Lowe in 1960.

Death and legacy Renouf died at his home in Jersey on 28 June 1954 after a "very painful and long illness" during the last two years of which he became blind, causing him to be unable to follow his hobby of philately which he regarded as a great loss.

Publications

Articles "The Cultivation of 'Stronger' and More Valuable Wheats for Export from the Punjab", Bulletin, No. 1 (1910), Department of Agriculture, Punjab. "Early Indian Cancellations, 1855-1884". Appendix I (pp. 485–549) in Robson Lowe (Ed.) The Encyclopaedia of British Empire Postage Stamps 1775-1950. Volume III The Empire in Asia. Robson Lowe Ltd., London, 1951.

Books Early Indian Cancellations and Postmarks 1852-84. Philatelic Society of India, Lahore, 1919. (Supplement, 1923) British-Indian Stamps Used Abroad. Philatelic Society of India, Lahore, 1920. (Supplement, 1923)