Featherstone & Co. 

William Charleton Featherstone was born circa 1794-95 in Plymouth and died 3rd February 1858 in Exeter. He married Jane (born 1808) from Stepney in Middlesex and they had one son, Samuel. It was Jane who registered William’s death and it was probably she who announced the sale of her late husband’s business to John Pollard in the Exeter Flying Post of 18th March of the same year. William worked from a large number of addresses and William is listed at 67 Fore Street in Pigot’s 1822 directory. Between September 1832 and April 1833 18 issues of The Western Spy were published but only the first two under Featherstone; the others were published by W C Pollard. He also published the Western Times for a while but severed connection with the paper to start up Featherstone’s Exeter Times in 1836 which was not successful and ran for only four months.

Featherstone seems to have published very little in his career. However, he did print and sell D McNee Stirling‘s The Beauties of Shute (1834) which was probably published by the author. George Oliver‘s Ecclesiastical Antiquities in Devon, a very popular work, was published by Featherstone in 1840-42. A year later Charles Medyett Goodridge‘s Narrative of a Voyage to the South Seas Fifth Edition appeared (1843) and William Shortt‘s Greek notes in Latin and English is believed to have been published by Featherstone (1850).
In the 1850s Featherstone produced and published two maps of Exeter. The first is clearly drawn and printed by the company but the second only has the Featherstone business address. The first may well have been a folding map for tourists while the second seems to be an advertising leaflet: the title has not only the address but there is an inset plan of the High Street with the location of the Feathersone printing office just off the High Street and his circulating library a few yards away in Bedford Street.


Featherstone 1

Size: 445 x 592 mm. Scale (100 Links + 20 = 75 mm) CHAINS.

MAP OF THE CITY OF EXETER, EMBRACING ALL THE Alterations and Improvements to the Present Period. (Ba) together with imprint: DRAWN, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY FEATHERSTONE & CO. LITHOGRAPHERS AND PRINTERS. 246, High Street, Exeter. Second imprint: FEATHERSTONE & CO. LITHOGRAPHERS & PRINTERS, NO 246, HIGH ST. EXETER (CeOS). Plain 5 line border, north point (Ca), a panel on either side showing the ‘Street List’, Scale bar (Dd), City Arms (Da) with a note POPULATION 1851, CITY OF EXETER, including ST THOMAS &c. 38,886., three panels at the bottom listing parishes, churches, public buildings. The Bristol & Exeter Railway line and station are shown and the South Devon line.

1.1852 Loose sheet (DevA).


Featherstone 2

Size: 180 x 233 mm.  SCALE OF FEET (1000 = 40 mm). 

MAP OF EXETER. (CaOS). Imprint in panel: FEATHERSTONE, Lithographer, 246 HIGH STREET, Exeter. CIRCULATING LIBRARY, BEDFORD STREET. See below (Aa). Plain two line border; scale bar (Ce); north point (De); two reference panels - Churches (Ea) - Chapels (Ed); enlarged plan showing the printing office and the library (Ae).

A simple block plan. Shows the ‘intended Exeter & Yeovil Railway’ line. Only main roads are named.

1. 1855 Loose sheet (DevA).




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