Hearder – Plymouth 

The Hearder family were umbrella and fishing tackle makers from the 18th century. George Hearder (b.1762) and his brother Jonathan (b.1775) began the business. Jonathan Hearder was registered as an umbrella maker at 28 Buckwell Street, Plymouth (Pigot and Co.s National Commercial Drectory, 1830). He is even listed as one of Plymouth's Constables in A Picture of Plymouth (1812). Jonathan left the business to his son, Jonathan Nash Hearder (1810-1876)[1] who was followed in turn by his son, William Sleep Hearder (1849-1910). By the 1870s Hearder and Son were operating from 195, Union Street, Plymouth, offering a range of different services from sports equipment (for cricket, archery, croquet etc) to magic lanterns for hire. They advertised themselves as General Fishing Tackle Makers to Her Majesty's Government, HMS Challenger and Arctic Expedition. They were still umbrella, parasol and walking-stick manufacturers with a new patent lock-rib umbrella.[2]

 

In addition, the Hearders wrote books on fishing: Hearder and Son's Illustrated Guide to Sea Fishing and the Rivers of South Devon, was already in its 11th edition by 1892; and William Hearder wrote Trout and Salmon Fishing in the neighbourhood. Where to go, etc. c. 1893[3]. To accompany these (as a separate publication) they issued two separate folding maps of the fishing areas around the south coast of Devon[4]. The first may have been a Hearder production, but the second, which seems to have replaced it, was a copy, if not an actual reprint, of Besley's map of South Devon and Dartmoor (see B&B 134S) as issued until circa 1877 with additions. How far actual cooperation went is not known. However, we do know that Ward & Lock were also using Besley's maps c.1886-96. Unlike the map as used by Ward & Lock, the second Hearder map has a new title and has been extended to the west to include parts of Cornwall, Liskeard is present, a few roads added and the Nottar and Inney rivers.



Hearder - Plymouth 1

Size: 500 x 695 mm. SCALE OF MILES (vertical Ad) (5 = 50 mm).
HEARDER'S FISHERMAN'S MAP PUBLISHED AS A GUIDE TO THE FRESH AND SALT WATER FISHERIES OF SOUTH DEVON & PART OF CORNWALL. 195, UNION STREET, PLYMOUTH (Ae). Signature: Malby & Sons, lith (EeOS).
Covers the south coast from Looe to Exmouth, showing lines for the 10, 15, 20 & 30 fathom depths. The hills of Dartmoor are heavily hachured and even quite small rivers are depicted. Principal roads and railways are shown, although there is not much detail outside the Dartmoor Forest area. The border is graduated and there is a north point (Ab). There is no railway line to Ashton (1882) and no L&SWR line to Plymouth (1890); there is a route to Kingsbridge (1893), but this follows the line of the river too much (crossing it several times) and must be considered as projected.

1. 1888     Hearder's Fisherman's Map
                Plymouth. Hearder. (1888)[5]. KB.

Hearder - Plymouth 2

The second Hearder map has been extended as far as Looe (with different style and lettering) but still only extends to Beer in the east and is now 2 cm larger east-west. There were (at least) two issues, the second having the imprint of Besley and Dalgleish, a cooperation that began circa 1898. The new edition has a large number of changes, some puzzling. The route of the railway between Exmouth and Sidmouth being especially confusing. The earlier version has the line to Sidmouth and a projected line to Exmouth from there. In actual fact, the line split near Newton Poppleford with a branch to Budleigh Salterton from where the branch to Exmouth continued. On the later version of Hearder’s map there appear to be two lines, one to Sidmouth and one to Budleigh from Ottery, but the line to Exmouth is drawn incorrectly from Sidmouth and not from Budleigh (and is thereby drawn as crossing the other line). Although the line to Exmouth was finally inaugurated 1903, the line to Yealmpton (completed 1898) is not yet complete, stopping at Brixton. 

Size: 350 x 500 mm.   Scale of Statute Miles (10 = 80 mm). 

HEARDER & SON'S FISHERMAN'S MAP, PUBLISHED AS A GUIDE TO THE FRESH WATER AND SEA FISHERIES OF SOUTH DEVON & PART OF CORNWALL, 195, Union Street, PLYMOUTH. The map east of the River Tamar is Besley's map 134S. Lines showing the 10, 15, 20 & 30 fathom depths have been added together with a new title (Ad) above the new scale bar. North point (Ee). Shows railway to Ashton (1882) and projected on to Exeter (1903), (whereas the Besley map c. 1877 had projected from Ashburton via Chudleigh to Exeter) and also the projected line Sidmouth to Exmouth; there is no L&SWR line to Plymouth (1890) nor a GWR line to Kingsbridge (1893). REFERENCE: Hounds meet thus 0 (Ae). 

 

1. 1888      Hearder and Son's Fisherman's Map
                  Plymouth. Hearder & Son. (1880). KB, NLS, B.

 

2. 1898   The map has a number of changes including the redrawing of the (identical) title (see illustration below). New compass point. New imprints: BESLEY & DALGLEISH LITH EXETER (CeOS) and B & C E (EeOS). New railways include Launceston to Halwill (1886) and Kingsbridge (1893). Other lines are improved, ie corrected to show true route. The routes previously projected to Exeter from Chudleigh and to Exmouth from Budleigh are included (both c.1903; see text). Coach roads are shown by dashed lines. Notes in top border note coach route to Yeoford, projected railway to Hatherleigh from Okehampton (note respelling) and newly added railway line to Holsworthy (from Elmdon).


                Hearder and Son's Fisherman's Map
                Plymouth. Hearder & Son. (1898). TB.




[1] At 34 George Street, Plymouth, White's Directory of Devonshire of 1850 selling fishing tackle.
[2] Eyre's Watering Places of the South of England, 1877.
[3] Copies of both are at the Bodleian Library and are also on microfilm at the BL, MIC.A.7648.(5.) and MIC.A.7648.(4.).[4] Both maps have cover label: Companion to Hearder’s Treatise On Sea and River Fishing.
[5] There is an added m/s note at Bovey Tracey "23rd June 1888" and lines of a probable walking tour.

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