Robert Cranford 

The Cranford´s were an established Dartmoouth family from at least the 1700s. A Robert Cranford (I) was mentioned in marriage records as early as 1785, was trading as a bookseller on The Quay between 1798 and 1826 (Maxted) and died in December 1826. He and his wife, Susanne Trist, had three children; Robert, Susanna and James. Robert Cranford (II) was a seller of guide books, maps and photographic views who also advertised bric-a-brac, antique furniture and china. He ran the "Chronicle" Machine Printing Works in Dartmouth as well as the lending library. Visitors wishing to see the interior of the Butterwalk in Dartmouth had to apply for admission to Cranford's Library.[1] He probably started business on the death of his father and about the same time he married. His marriage took place 5th February 1829 and he was registered in directories etc. with premises at New Quay, Dartmouth from about 1830 until his death in 1852. He advertised himself as printer, bookseller, librarian, stationer, bookbinder, chartseller as well as agent for Trewman's Exeter Pocket Journal (1827) and for Norwich Union Fire and Life Office (1840). He probably printed for local companies but he is known to have published one work in the 1840s and three books of views in the 1840s and 1850s. The first was a religious tract while the others, although the cover states published by were almost certainly delivered complete so that local booksellers could add their own covers: these were a booklet of old houses of Dartmouth and 2 books of prints of Dartmouth and the River Dart supplied by Newman & Co. of London. 

The local guide, Up And Down the River Dart. A Descriptive Sketch of the district betwen Dartmouth and Totnes was probably written by his son, Robert Cranford (III), and originally printed in the 1870s (the last date in the text of the Third Edition is 1871[2]). This Robert probably took over on the death of his father circa 1854. In 1856[3] Cranford’s was selling Views of Dartmouth and the Dart (Newman´s views?) as well as a Hand Book for Dartmouth and the Dart. By 1857, when he advertised in Billings Directory[4], he was running the Chart and Navigation Warehouse as well as publishing the Dartmouth Chronicle, and South Devon Advertiser. This newspaper was described as not confined to the immediate locality, but circulates largely amongst a superior class of readers. They faced competition from Butteris whose own Guide to the Dart was available for 1/- or 2/-. A map engraved and printed for W H Smith was also sold with a cover claiming Cranford as the publisher c.1884. 

Robert Cranford and Son were trading circa 1893-1939 as printers at South Embankment 1902, South Parade 1910, Fairfax Place, Dartmouth 1893-1939 but also at 3, Torbay Terrace, Paignton 1893. In 1901 the building at Fairfax Place was also trading as Cranston´s Restaurant. The company was in business until the 1950s: The Life of William Cumming Henley by Ellen Pamela Henley was published in 1953.


Size 225 x 183 mm. (2 = 43 mm) MILES.

A Map OF THE RIVER DART. in title panel (Ae) together with the scale bar. Imprint: Dartmouth. (AeOS) and R. Cranford. Publisher. (EeOS).

Description. The area covered is from Torquay (Ea) south as far as Stoke Fleming (Ce). Tor Bay has been cut in half so that only the western coast is shown. Westwards the map stretches as far as Totnes (Ab). Note spelling of Paignton as Paington and few “tide lines” in river. Illustrated.

1. 1890 Up And Down The River Dart ... Sixth Edition by Robert Cranford
Dartmouth. Robert Cranford. (1890). TQ[5].

2. 1895 The map has been completely redrawn but is almost a perfect copy of the original. It could be a slavish writing over the old map to improve outlines. Imprints: Dartmouth. as before but in new style and R. Cranford & Son. Publishers. (EeOS).

Paignton spelt correctly and river has been filled with “tide lines”.

Up And Down The River Dart ... Ninth Edition by Robert Cranford
Dartmouth. Robert Cranford. (1895). BL[6].



[1] An advertisement in a later edition (14th) has Cranford's Library at Fairfax Place as established 1798. However, Eyre's Guide to Watering Places (1877) has established 1810 (p.160 advert section).

[2] The British Library has an edition of Up And Down The River Dart ... Third Edition - BL 10358.aaa.49(7) – included in a bound copy of various guides. This edition is advertised … with a map of Devonshire, however, the map is missing. There is a map of Devon, incorrectly bound in at pages 16 and 17 of a guide to Herts by John Harris (1883). This map of the county is by Edward Weller produced for Collins in 1875 (B&B 152); the assumption must be that this is the map originally included by Cranford. The BL accession stamp on map (and guide) is 22 JY 84; however, the map could be state 2, as used by Percy for the Devonshire Calendar of 1876. Last dates in text are 1870 (breaking up of HMS Britannia) and a footnote. This footnote refers to Notes about Newcomin (sic) by Thomas Lidstone (1871).

[3] Besley´s Route Book of Devon.

[4] Page 92 of advertising section; also includes a small vignette of his premises.

[5] Date is speculation. Last date in text is 1880 (reference to Fairfax Place p.11) and it predates the BL copy dated 1895 by the British Library (BL 1568/360). The same map was used at least until the 14th edition of 1910-12. Illustration courtesy of Torquay Reference Library; all rights reserved.

[6] The footnote now refers to Notes about Newcomen by Thomas Lidstone (1878).

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