Charles Stanhope Foster Crofton (16 April 1873 - April 1909) was a British philatelist and a member of the Indian Civil Service.

Early life

Crofton was the only son of Major Henry Crofton R.A. (1847-1893). He was educated at Harrow

Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...

 and Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

.

Philately

Crofton specialised in the philately of India and Ceylon. He had a special interest in the telegraph

Telegraph stamp

Telegraph stamps are stamps intended solely for the prepayment of telegraph fees. The customer completed a telegraph form before handing it with payment to the clerk who applied a telegraph stamp and cancelled it to show that payment had been made...

 and revenue stamp

Revenue stamp

A revenue stamp, tax stamp or fiscal stamp is a adhesive label used to collect taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, and many other things...

s of the area. He was a member of the Philatelic Society of India

Philatelic Society of India

The Philatelic Society of India was formed in 1897 by a group of, mainly, expatriate Englishmen resident in the country as the first all-India philatelic society...

 and for a time edited the Philatelic Journal of India. He was also a member of The Fiscal Philatelic Society

Fiscal Philatelic Society

The Fiscal Philatelic Society was an early twentieth century philatelic society that is seen as a predecessor to today's Cinderella Stamp Club and The Revenue Society...

.

He wrote most of part II (telegraph stamps) of The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of British India. His Fiscal and Telegraph Stamps of Ceylon was published posthumously from his notes after editing by B. Gordon-Jones.

Death

Crofton died from cholera in Ahmednagar, Deccan where he was the resident magistrate and collector.

Selected publications

• The Adhesive Fiscal and Telegraph Stamps of British India. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co., 1905. (With Wilmot Corfield
  Wilmot Corfield
  William Wilmot Corfield was a British philatelist who was an important figure in Anglo-Indian philately. He was an accountant by profession.-Early life:Corfield was born in Birmingham in 1859 and educated at King Edward's School...
  
  )
• The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of British India. London: Stanley Gibbons for the Philatelic Society of India
  Philatelic Society of India
  The Philatelic Society of India was formed in 1897 by a group of, mainly, expatriate Englishmen resident in the country as the first all-India philatelic society...
  
  , 1907. (With L.L.R. Hausburg
  Leslie L. R. Hausburg
  Leslie Leopold Rudolph Hausburg was a British philatelist who was one of the "Fathers of Philately" entered on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1921. He was also a leading tennis player.-Early life:...
  
   and C. Stewart-Wilson
  Charles Stewart-Wilson
  Sir Charles Stewart-Wilson KCIE was Barrister and an official in the Indian Civil Service who rose to become the Indian Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs....
  
  .)
• The Fiscal and Telegraph Stamps of Ceylon. Ed. B. Gordon Jones. London: Bridger & Kay for the Philatelic Society of India, 1911. (Posthumously)