Hearder´s Family Hotel - TORQUAY 

The unusual and rare trade card described below was produced for Hearder's Family Hotel in Torquay[1]. The original building was let to Gilbert Hearder as early as 1815 and then sub-let to Joseph Marchetti who opened the first hotel there. This was destroyed by fire on January 11th, 1833, and was then taken over by William Hearder. By this date Gilbert had died (1829) and a new hotel was opened and run by his widow. It was now operated under the name Hearder's Family Hotel (and Stamp Office)[2] under Sarah (Coyte) Hearder, who is listed as the proprietor of the hotel in various directories including Billing's 1857 directory[3]. The Hearders ceased running the hotel c.1860[4] after the death of Sarah and the hotel was owned from 1860 to 1863 by Southam Cash, and became  The Queen's Hotel. 

The Hearders were a local family from the Newton Abbot district. William Hearder was a cousin of Sarah´s by marriage and was probably some kind of guarantor. He opened various businesses in Torquay, most on Victoria Parade, including a wine import business and a chemist´s; he seems to have been a qualified chemist. Sarah's son, George Elliott Hearder, is mentioned in several directories: he was clerk to the magistrates in 1850 (White's 1850); clerk to the magistrates, clerk to local board of health, Sub-Distributor of stamps and agent for Atlas Fire and Life Office with home address in Victoria Parade (Billing's 1857); resigned as solicitor to the Local Board in 1867 (Ellis); was clerk to the magistrates and agent with address in Torwood Street (White's 1878); and living in Chelston Cottage, Cockington (Deacon's Court Guide 1882).

The Torquay Hearders were related to the Hearders of Plymouth (see next entry) as well as being related to G Hearder. C H Hearder was operating as priner, stationer, &c as well as running Hearder’s Library (in connection with Mudie) from 2, Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot in 1890 according to Allday’s Illustrated Guide.

George Parry Hearder, 1811-1844, was the son of Jonathan Hearder and Mary Hannah Parry. He was also the brother of Jonathan Nash Hearder, 1810-1876. George Hearder was a printer and publisher as well as an engraver on wood[5]. He published a monthly magazine which ran from 1833-1836, The South Devon Monthly Museum.[6] It is distinctly possible that he produced the engraving for Sarah and her husband, Gilbert. As George died on 9th November 1844 from a cancer, the trade card engraving would then predate this.

The engraving of the hotel is attractive and bordered by advertising. Above the picture the name of the hotel is written in two types: Hearder's Family Hotel. Torquay. Below we are told that they are: Agent for Lodging Houses and also Undertakers of Funerals. The left border has the wording: An Excellent Commercial Room. Wines and Spirits Of A Superior Quality, while the right hand has Post Horses, Carriages, Landaus, Flys &c. Good Stables And Lock Up Coach Houses, both in attractive curling writing with flourishes. The reverse has a map of the area immediately surrounding Torquay. 

Hearder - Torquay 

 

Size: 95 x 77 mm. SCALE (5 = 30 mm).

HEARDER'S Family HOTEL (above) and TORQUAY (below map). There may have been an imprint: traces remain (EeOS). The area covered is a triangle from Ashburton east and northeast to Teignmouth and southeast to Dartmouth. Hills are heavily hachured. No railways are shown. There is the route of the Stover Canal at Newton Abbot.

The reverse has an attractive engraving of Hearder's Family Hotel on the Strand, Torquay. 

1.1840    Hearder 's Family Hotel - Torquay : trade card.
                Torquay. Hearder. (1840). KB, DevA[7].



[1] For more information on the Hotel and an analysis of the map go to my web page on Hearders Family Hotel.
[2] For more information on the background to this hotel see Kit Batten, Hearder (A Trade Card), in IMCoS Journal, issue 78 – Autumn 1999, pp.5-9.
[3] My thanks to Ian Maxted of the Westcountry Studies Library in Exeter. Thanks to Ian Hearder for dates concerning the Hearder family and confirming the Plymouth and Torquay Hearders were related.
[4] The Hearder's seem to have remained in Torquay as on December 1st, 1893, W. Hearder opened the Torquay or Torbay Club in Beacon Terrace. William Hearder was living in Warberry Road, Torquay in 1882 (Deacon's Court Guide).
[5] A wood engraving by GP Hearder of Torquay Strand can be found in Panorama of Torquay by Octavian Blewitt, 1832.
[6] This also included wood engravings by Hearder and others (Somers Cocks S.222).
[7] DevA has a copy of Cockrem's Guide to Torquay (Cockrem 2) with a copy of the card pasted onto the reverse of the title page. This has been closely cropped, losing all text outside the borders (sB.TOR.1841.GUI).

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