Monday, 25 October 2021

John Cary

John Cary (b.1755 - d.1835) was one of the finest English cartographers. Besides county maps his work covered world atlases, road maps, sea charts, town and canal plans. He became Surveyor of Roads to the General Post Office, commissioned to survey the roads of England in 1794.

John Cary came originally from Wiltshire, the son of a maltster. He was born in February 1755, the second son of George and Mary Cary. He had three brothers, Francis (1756-1836) also an engraver, William (1759-1825) a map publisher and globe maker with whom he collaborated, and George (d.1830) who had premises as a haberdasher in the Strand, London (1820). His two sons, George the younger (d.1859) and John, joined the firm in 1820. The business passed to G.F.Cruchley c.1844, and later to Gall & Inglis.

John Cary’s first county atlas, New and Correct Atlas, appeared in parts from 1787 to 1789. Originally the plan was to publish one part a month, each to include 4 counties, and Devon appeared in issue seven with Somerset, Shrops and Northants on February 26th 1788 (the first title page imprint was dated 1787). Later progress was slow and the final maps appeared in Spring 1789. Atlases were made up of whatever sheets were available. Devon was re-engraved before 1809.

In 1789 he produced maps for an edition of Camden’s Britannia translated by Richard Gough (folio, in 3 Vols with 60 maps). This does not seem to have been very successful, although it was issued a second time in 1806. Meanwhile, however, the maps from this work were used by John Stockdale in his New British Atlas published in 1805. The map of Devon was drawn by E Noble.

Cary’s Traveller’s Companion appeared for the first time in 1790 (small 8vo, 43 maps) although many maps, including Devon, were dated 1789. The Companion was extremely successful and was reprinted many times. Most counties had substantial revisions and, like Devon, were completely re-engraved for the 1806 and 1822 issues (illustrated above).

The maps in each edition of Traveller's Companion are perfect examples of his craft. They combine simplicity of design with maximum of accuracy. After the elaborate designs of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth they may even strike one as too plain (compared with Moll and Read from the early 1700s for example).

One of Cary´s innovations was the introduction of latters of the alphabet where a main turnpike left the county. This could then be matched up with the corresponding letter on the map of the adjoining county.

Whereas most of the cartographers of the time produced maps showing one specific area or produced atlases with separate counties, Cary produced two atlases based on sectional maps which could be placed next to each other to form a map of England and Wales; these were the New Map of England and Wales and the Improved Map. While the first only appeared in two editions the latter was so successful it was not only reprinted several times but sections were extracted and adapted to suit local needs.

For Cary´s county maps refer to The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92. Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s New Map of England and Wales so-called "square atlas" - click here.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by John Heydon - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by A H Swiss - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Arthur Westley - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Thomas Doidge - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

John Cary - John Heydon

The first local publisher to issue a map derived from Cary's Improved Map was John Heydon in his Map of the Environs of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse or Pedestrian’s Companion. The map shows almost 90% of sheet 2 of Cary’s map. This version would seem to pre-date both the Seeley map of Torquay and the A H Swiss derivatives by a number of years from evidence of the railway network but the area covered is, in fact, very similar to that included in the Swiss map, A H Swiss' No. I Hunting Map. The Plymouth District.
John Heydon published two further maps of Plymouth for tourists (c.f. ) and one of the first county maps of Devonshire based on the Improved Map plates was also published by Heydon (see B&B 150). The county map[1] first appeared circa 1872 and also carried a note about forts and batteries (see below).

Size: 460 x 575 mm. Scale of English Miles (8 = 105 mm).
JOHN HEYDON`S MAP OF THE ENVIRONS OF PLYMOUTH, DEVONPORT AND STONEHOUSE OR PEDESTRIAN`S COMPANION (Ae). Scale (De). Below map is imprint: Published by JOHN HEYDON, Fore Street, Devonport, and 47, Treville Street, Plymouth. This is together with the following notes: 1s. Plain, 1s. 6d. Coloured. Also a large Map of Plymouth, Devonport, and Stonehouse. Size, 40 by 26 inches; Scale, 12 inches to a mile; Price, 6s.
The map covers southeast Cornwall and southwest Devon from Greber Head near Fowey to East Prawle near Salcombe and everything below Bridestow, thereby including Moreton Hampstead and Camelford. Although a note reads: The Forts & Batteries are shown thus (with symbol), these are not in fact shown. The map has railways consistent with a date of c. 1860-64; railway to Tavistock but no further, but line completed into Cornwall; lines to Moreton (1866) and Lidford to Launceston (1865) only projected. Line Tavistock-Lidford also only projected although this was completed in 1859.

1.1865 John Heydon’s Map Of The Environs Of Plymouth, Devonport And Stonehouse Or Pedestrian’s Companion Devonport and Plymouth. John Heydon. (1865). KB.

For Cary´s county maps refer to The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92. Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s New Map of England and Wales so-called "square atlas" - click here.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by A H Swiss - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Arthur Westley - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Thomas Doidge - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

[1] The county map actually kept the same title but shows all but the extreme south east corner of the county with Cornwall to Gerrans Bay. Key includes railways, railways in progress and symbols for forts and batteries around Plymouth. Devon railways: Kingsbridge, Seaton, Watchet, Exmouth, Tiverton, Bideford, Kingswear with Brixham, Ashburton, Moreton Hampstead, Plymouth to Launceston and Exeter to Greenslade. Proposed lines: Sidmouth, complete Dartmoor Loop with branches Launceston to Bodmin, Greenslade-Hatherleigh-Holsworthy-Bude and Bideford to Torrington and Hatherleigh, Ilfracombe via Bittadon. Village of Elmdon named near Sourton.

John Cary - Arthur Westley

Arthur Westley began business in the late 1870s taking over from Edward Cockrem (see Cockrem 5). He seems to have commissioned only one map (but it may also have been taken over from Cockrem) but was offering a range of different maps of Torquay and the neighbourhood between 1880 and 1885. One of the maps he offered was taken from the Cary plates of the Improved Map. His business was, in turn, taken over by Leonard Seeley.
L Seeley was a Torquay bookseller and library proprietor. In circa 1885 he was issuing a map based on work by Cary’s Improved map only differing from Westley’s in small details and a slight “shift to the east”. Also at about this time he was selling an updated version of a map produced by W Elliott which was now some 50 years old (c.f.). Exactly which map replaced which, or whether Seeley was selling both together cannot be clarified. However, the selection of other items being sold (on back cover) seems to indicate that the company was concerned with selling a range of services more in line with the general bookseller and printer (eg note paper, visiting card plates) than the specialist agent for travellers’ wants. On the other hand the Cary map was much more detailed than the Elliott map and would have been better for a potential traveller.
Other publishers and booksellers were also using ex-Cary map products (taken over in the meantime by Gall & Inglis) such as A H Swiss of Devonport for his hunting maps. This Westley/Seeley version must, however, pre‑date Swiss if the railway information is up to date; both retain information such as rocks and coastal depths found on the Cary maps, but later erased before being used by Swiss.
Cary Improved 3 (Westley)

Size: 490 x 600 mm. Scale of English Miles (10 = 130 mm).
WESTLEY'S MAP OF TWENTY FIVE MILES ROUND TORQUAY, Reduced From The ORDNANCE SURVEY. (De). Below this a note: Circles Represent Two Miles. Imprint: PUBLISHED BY ARTHUR WESTLEY Librarian, Bookseller, and Stationer 10 STRAND, TORQUAY (Ee). Scale Ae).
The map covers south Devon from Rame Head and Saltash with Lifton Station just inside the border to Chit Rock and Sidmouth (not named) with everything below Exeter and Okehampton, thereby missing the eastern edge, i.e. anything east of Venn Ottery aas well as Honiton. There are radiating circles outwards from Torquay. It has railways consistent with a date of c. 1880; no Yelverton to Prince Town line (1883) and the line to Ashton is not yet projected.

1.1884 Westley’s map of Twenty Five Miles Round Torquay Torquay. Arthur Westley. (1884). BL[1].

2.1885 SEELEY'S MAP OF THE ENVIRONS OF TORQUAY, FROM THE ORDNANCE SURVEY. (Ee). Imprint: SEELEY'S LIBRARY, TORQUAY (AeOS). Scale (EeOS). Size: 490 x 615 mm. Illustrated. The map covers almost the same area of south Devon from Plymouth to Salcombe Regis and everything below Exeter, thereby missing the eastern edge and anything west of Beer Alston as well as Honiton but shows only a small part of Rame Head (in full on Wesley) and extends further eastalmost to Beer Head. It has railways consistent with a date of c. 1880; the Yelverton to Prince Town line (1883) is not yet included and the line to Ashton is dotted as projected (opened October 1882).

Seeleys' Reduced Ordnance Map Of The Environs Of Okehampton, Exeter, Dartmoor, Plymouth, Dartmouth and Torquay ... L Seeley & Son. (Cover title) Torquay. L Seeley. (1885). TM[2].

Cover

For Cary´s county maps refer to The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92. Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s New Map of England and Wales so-called "square atlas" - click here.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by John Heydon - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by A H Swiss - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Thomas Doidge - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

[1] BL Maps 2123 (12.) with accession date October 1884. Mounted on linen with (front) cover pasted on reverse: Westley’s Reduced Ordnance Map of Twenty-Five Miles Round Torquay. Distances are shown by Two-Mile Circles. Price 1/6.

John Cary -

The IMPROVED MAP of ENGLAND and WALES

Cary's Improved Map of England and Wales with a considerable part of Scotland consisted of a total of 65 maps and was first published in parts by John Cary, in London between 1820 and 1830. Cary sold the sheets as a boxed set of folding maps and as an atlas in 1832. After Cruchley obtained the maps he continued to sell each sheet separately in covers as Cruchley's Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales, and in a variety of different covers, each section being approximately 500 by 630 mm. Cruchley even went to the lengths of cutting six maps to size to compile a map of Devon from the five sheets containing Devon plus the Somerset sheet, No. 17 (see B&B 138A). Similarly, George Richmond took parts of these sheets to produce his Exeter map in c.1876. The sheets were used again by Seeley c.1890, by A H Swiss for his fox-hunting maps in c.1890 and parts appeared in the Homeland Handbooks at the end of the century. The listing below is only a small fraction of the maps that are probably extant.
At the very beginning of the twentieth century the sheets were used by Gall and Inglis[1] to produce a county map of Devonshire on one sheet. This was then sold in covers under the name Cruchley’s County Maps of England. Devon for Cyclists, Tourists &c. This was extremely misleading as the company had been selling Cruchley’s copies of the one sheet folio map (B&B 71 but originally issued as early as 1807) under this title for some years. This latter work was the Cary ½” map but reduced to 1/3”.[2]

Cary Improved 1 (Improved Map as sheets 2, 3, 9, 10 and 16)

Size: 500 x 630 mm (+/‑ 10). Scale of English Miles (20 = 250 mm).
No Title but all maps have the following distinguishing feature: Plate No. (EaOS); Continuation followed by direction and Sheet number on all four sides outside border; Imprint (CeOS); and scale bar (CaOS). Map sheets 2, 3, 9, 10 and 16 show Devon.
1.1820 As described with imprint: LONDON: PUBLISHED BY G & J CARY, 86 ST. JAMES'S STREET, JULY 1ST. 1820. on maps 2, 9 and 10, or JULY 2ND 1821 maps 3 and 16.

Cary's Improved Map of England and Wales with a considerable part of Scotland London. G & J Cary. 1820. FB.

2.1832  As described with imprint: LONDON: PUBLISHED BY G & J CARY, 86 ST. JAMES'S STREET, JULY 2nd. 1832.
Cary's Improved Map of England and Wales (sheet from boxed set ‑ Sheet 3) London. G & J Cary. 1832.  (KB).
3.1860  As described with imprint: LONDON: PUBLISHED BY G F CRUCHLEY, MAP‑SELLER & GLOBE MAKER, 81, FLEET STREET (LATE CARYS). Illustrated.

Cruchley's Reduced Ordnance Map Sheet 10 in stiff covers with overview of 65 maps London. G F Cruchley. (1860). KB.

4.1870 As described with imprint: LONDON: PUBLISHED BY G F CRUCHLEY, MAP‑SELLER & GLOBE MAKER, 81, FLEET STREET.

Cruchley's Reduced Ordnance Map (in yellow card covers with overview ‑ Sheet 2) London. G F Cruchley. (1870). KB.

5.1880 As described with imprint: PUBLISHED BY GALL & INGLIS. EDINBURGH & LONDON, 25, PATERNOSTER SQUARE. Railway to Ilfracombe (Sheet 16).

Cruchley's Reduced Ordnance Map London & Edinburgh. Gall & Inglis. (1880)[3]. KB.

6.1886 As described with imprint: PUBLISHED BY GALL & INGLIS. EDINBURGH & LONDON, 25, PATERNOSTER SQUARE. (Sheet 9). Printer’s mark (?) P2^x (AeOS). Railway only projected from Holsworthy (1879) to Bude (1898), but Halwill-Launceston completed (1886).

The ‘Half Inch’ Map of England for Cyclists Tourists Etc. London & Edinburgh. Gall & Inglis. (1886)[4]. KB.

7.1892 As described with imprint: PUBLISHED BY GALL & INGLIS. EDINBURGH & LONDON, 25, PATERNOSTER SQUARE. (Sheet 2). Printer’s mark (?) J4^x (AeOS). Railways to Turnchapel from Plymouth not included and no line to Kingsbridge (1893).

Cruchley’s Cycling and Touring Map of England & Wales ... with the principal roads colored. London & Edinburgh. Gall & Inglis. (1892)5]. KB.

Images in following order:

Sheet 2 with Cruchley imprint

Shhet 3 with Cary imprint

Sheet 9 with Cruchley imprint

Sheet 10 with Cary imprint

Sheet 16 with Gall & Inglis imprint

Examples of later covers - Cary typically only had marbled green covers with several maps in one slipcase.

For Cary´s county maps refer to

The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92.

Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by John Heydon - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by A H Swiss - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Arthur Westley - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Thomas Doidge - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

[1] Gall and Inglis had worked together wirth A H Swiss before, see B&B 166.
[2] See also Victorian Maps page 178. Two copies known, one in collection of author, the other in collection of Mr Eugene Burden who was very helpful in identifying this map.
[3] Large front cover label with map title and index map of coverage: Sold by George Philip & Son, Educational and Geographical Depot, 32, Fleet Street, London. Ordnance Survey Depot.
[4] In red covers with logo top left: large circle with sheet number inside and SHEET NUMBER to right. Label: George Philip & Son, Map, Chart and Geographical Depot, 32, Fleet Street, London. Inside cover has Cruchley’s County Maps and index map of 62 sheets.
[5] Cover has address of George Philip and Son and inside cover has list of their maps for Cycling Season 1892-93. Back cover has index map of 65 sheets.

John Cary - A H Swiss

Gall & Inglis were successful publishers who had bought part of the stock of George Frederick Cruchley when it came up for auction in 1877. Some of the plates sold included those of John Cary that Cruchley had acquired over thirty years previously. These were again revised and issued in cooperation with local companies such as A H Swiss of Devonport. These were fox‑hunting maps of Devon produced c.1890, and are transfers from the plates of the Improved Map of England of Wales with added railways and hunt information.
Three maps by Swiss covering Devon are known. Two maps covering basically north Devon and south Devon on two sheets are described in The Victorian Maps of Devon (entry B&B 166). It was thought that there was a map on one sheet; Swiss & Co.s No. 1 Map. Such a map has now been found and added to the original entry. However, another map also No. 1 covers only parts of sheets 2 and 9 of Cary's Improved Map. The sea area south of Plymouth has been cut off and the northern part includes Stratton and Crediton.

Cary Improved 4 (Swiss)

Size: 590 x 615 mm. SCALE HALF AN INCH TO A MILE (10 = 130 mm).
A H SWISS'S HUNTING MAP OF PLYMOUTH & DEVONPORT DISTRICT. Imprint: A H SWISS. PUBLISHER. 111 and 112 FORE STREET, DEVONPORT. (CeOS)[1]. The map is provided with circles radiating out from the centre of Plymouth (see also Doidge, but not identical). Note (Ae) reads: The distance between each Circle is One Mile, with Plymouth Railway Station as centre.

Area covered includes Greber Head to Slapton Cellars on south coast and as far north as Stratton and Crediton. L&SWR line Tavistock to Plymouth but no line to Kingsbridge (1890 and Dec. 1893 respectively).
1.1890 A H Swiss' No. I Hunting Map. The Plymouth District (folding into red covers with index to hunts) Devonport. A H Swiss. (1890). KB[2].

For Cary´s county maps refer to The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92. Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s New Map of England and Wales so-called "square atlas" - click here.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by John Heydon - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Arthur Westley - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Thomas Doidge - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

[1] A thin strip of paper has been pasted over a note on two hunts (below title), suggesting an earlier version may be extant.

[2] Author’s copy has m/s date 1895 on inside cover, so could be up to five years later.

John Cary - Thomas Doidge

The company of Thomas Doidge was listed in a trade directory of 1879 as proprietors of a photographic studio, fancy goods dealers, booksellers, binders, stationers, &c at Union Street, Plymouth. One or two photographs survive and one has an advert on the reverse announcing that oil or watercolour copis of the portrait can be had at life size.[1]

Little of Doidge’s output is held at the major libraries One map of Devon is known by Doidge and Co. Apart from this map, the BL only has a copy of A Ramble around Mount Edgcumbe written by W H K Wright published by the company.

Doidge's Western Counties Annual ‑ A miscellany of useful, instructive, entertaining local and general information ‑ was issued annually from c. 1877 at which time they were operating from premises at 169‑170 Union St. This was produced in two editions with a special printing for the Army and Navy edition which included county historical information in the calendar section. The annuals were packed with stories and contained an almanack for each month. Doidge advertised himself as Great Book and Stationery Mart and also as a Discount Bookseller. In 1892 Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. became the London agents. Photos were added in 1893 and by 1894 Doidge was claiming sales of 15000 copies. The printers at the end of the century were the Plymouth printers of Hoyten and Cole. A map was included with the annual in 1899 ‑ Midland Railway Map of Great Britain.

An illustration of the Doidge premises was used in an advertisement in 1891 and it is a very impressive establishment. At this time they were offering the largest stock of books in the west. They also offered a large scale map of Plymouth and District with 2 mile circles and this is almost certainly the map described below. It was not cheap: folded to fit the pocket and mounted on linen it cost half a crown.

Advert for Doidge´s Toy Warehouse placed in Eyre´s Picturesque Devon and Cornwall 1891. Illustration courtesy of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

Cary Improved Map 5 (Doidge)

Size: 598 x 742 mm. Scale (10 = 128 mm).

DOIDGE'S NEW LARGE SCALE CYCLING AND TOURING ROAD MAP OF PLYMOUTH AND DISTRICT. Imprint: DOIDGE & Co. 169 & 170 UNION STREET, PLYMOUTH (BeOS). There is an inset map: KEY MAP TO THE ROADS OF THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND. The map is provided with circles radiating out from the centre of Plymouth (see also Swiss, but not identical). Note (CeOS) reads: The Circles Denote Two Mile Distances. The map shows the area from St Austell to Teignmouth and north as far as Stratton and Bradford by Black Torrington. Railways are shown to Holsworthy, opened in 1879, but not the line to Kingsbridge which opened in 1893 nor the extension to Bude (1898 but planned earlier).

1. 1890 Doidge's New Large Scale Cycling and Touring Road Map of Plymouth and District. Plymouth. Doidge & Co. (1890). Tooley DE27 BL[2], E.

For Cary´s county maps refer to The Printed Maps of Devon entries 51, 54, 55, 69, 71, 73 and 92. Click reference number to open directly.

For Cary´s New Map of England and Wales so-called "square atlas" - click here.

For Cary´s Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Cary and others - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by John Heydon - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by A H Swiss - click here.

For the section of Improved Map of England and Wales as issued by Arthur Westley - click here.

For the sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as printed by Gall & Inglis for two Exeter companies (Henry Eland and Standfield & White) click here.

For the 2 sections of Improved Map of England and Wales as used by Beatrix Cresswell - click here.

For the section of Cary´s Reduced Ordnance Map of England and Wales as issued by G F Cruchley to show Dartmoor Maneouvres - click here.

To return / access the Catalogue of Maps in this work - click here

[1] See for example: http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~victorianphotographs/pixs/doidjb. The illustration of the advertisement is from the reverse of a photograph of two children.