RUNDELL / THOMAS 

The first edition of the plan described below is linen backed and bound into a small booklet, the outer cover having the title: 1848 BYE LAWS AND TABLES OF FARES FOR BOATS AND WHERRIES, Plying under 6 and 7 Vict., chap 61. Price 6d. Jenkin Thomas, Printer, Plymouth and which explains the terms and conditions, fares, fines and regulations thereof. The last page of the booklet ends: JENKIN THOMAS, PRINTER, PLYMOUTH - 1861. The booklet was "Printed by Authority of the Commissioners, By JENKIN THOMAS, No. 9, Cornwall Street, Plymouth. (ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL) 1848." Pagination begins i-vi (and includes an index) and continues (7) to 18 (the bye-laws).

William Rundell engraved the map and he was registered in Devonport in the period 1840-1844, at 73 George Street. It is possible that the map was engraved in 1848 for Thomas and then reissued but the reference to the Commissioners makes it more probable that the plan was first printed in 1861. Rundell executed two maps for Wood (c.f.) in this period and it was William Wood who used the map later in his Almanacks.

Jenkin Thomas was also the local publisher of J C Bellamy’s The Natural History of South Devon which was published together with Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. of London in 1839. 

 

Size: 390 x 285 mm.  SCALE OF STATUTE MILES (49 mm = 2) Miles. 

No Title: Imprint (Ce): Engraved & Published BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSIONERS acting under 6 & 7 Vic. Cap. 61. For regulating Hackney Coaches & other Carriages, BOATS & WHERRIES. Signature: W W Rundell Sc (Ae).

Shows the Sound from Rame Head to Wembury Church and inland to St.Germans, Long Bridge (up the Laira), Lop Hill on the Tavy and Weir Head on the Tamar. A coastal plan with no inland detail at all.  The sound is divided into areas: No.1. from the Mewstone to Kingsand Cawsand, No. 2 to the Breakwater  up to No. 22 from Kinterbury Pt. to Saltash and Anthony’s Passage. There are three tables of Fares: Ferries and Short Distances (Aa); General Fares (Ea); and Steam Packet Fares (Ad). 

1. 1861   1848 Bye Laws and Tables of Fares for Boats and Wherries 

Plymouth. Printed by Authority of the Commissioners. 1861.  KB. 

 

2. 1864   Addition of two dotted lines at higher reaches of River Tamar, e.g. Halton Quay.[1]

                       

              Three Towns' Almanack 1864

              Devonport. W  Wood. 1864.  DevA.

 

3. 1872   Rundell signature deleted and signs of possible erasure of a ferry route at Cargreen[2].

                       

              Three Towns' Almanack 1872

               Devonport. W  Wood. 1872.  DevA, KB.

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[1] Has various adverts on the reverse, eg Plimsaul and Western Mutual Insurance.

[2] Has an advert on the reverse for J G Foster.

 SAMUEL ROWE 

The Panorama of Plymouth written by Samuel Rowe originally contained just a Map Of The Country Twelve Miles Round Plymouth engraved by John Cooke (see Cooke 29). The work was published by Rowes Whimple St. 1821. When the second edition appeared, circa 1830*, the map was supplemented by a chart and diagrams of the Plymouth Breakwater, which was nearing preliminary completion around that time. 

 

Size: 260 x 400 (sheet size). No scale. 

The sheet is composed of one larger chart on the left hand side; 210 x 175 mm. This is a Chart of Plymouth Sound (in title panel, Ee). Imprint: Published by Rowes Plymouth (CeOS). Rough sketch of the Sound probably copied from Cooke (c.f.). North star almost bisects map. No scale.

The right hand side is taken up with two plates (PL I below and PL II above, each approx. 100 x 170 mm). Plate I is PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER (with scale to length of 500 Yards) and Plate II is STONE VESSELS. 

1. 1827  The Panorama of Plymouth, or Tourists’ Guide … Second Edition
Plymouth. Rowes. (1827).    DevA, KB.

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NOTES:

* This Second Edition is usually dated to 1827 on the basis of a tomb inscription reproduced on page 112 of the second section (Excursions). However in section one there is a footnote on page 201 referring to the Appendix. Here, on page vi, there is a section on Eldad Chapel which was finally completed in 1830 for the Rev. John Hawker and described as "in the Gothic style ... presents a pleasing object from various parts of the neighbourhood."

 W M ROBBINS / JOHN TAIT 

John Tait (1837-1898) was born in Rugby where his father established the town´s first newspaper. After serving an apprenticeship and achieving his Master Printer he remained in Rugby with wife and four children until 1876. Several tragedies occurred during his years in his new home at Ilfracombe but he was able to establish a flourishing business. In addition, he ran the Chronicle and Visitor's List at 41 High Street.[1]

 The Ilfracombe and the North Devon Coast (cover title) was written by W Walters and appeared with his imprint 1878[2]. This appears to be the only guide published by Tait and he would, in any case, have competition from the current owners of the Library. This could have been either Milligan or Stewart. The book calls for no map but the copies seen usually have one loosely inserted into a pocket (or envelope) at the rear. The map is on thin paper, i.e. was probably designed for use with the guide book, and has no card covers or backing and not produced as a folding map.

Tait published a couple of works of local interest between 1878 and 1881; Combe Flowers, a set of poems by Anne Irwin a domestic servant in Ilfracombe with an introduction by Elizabeth Marriott; and Sweet Will, a selection of plays by H A Jones. In 1885 he sold the Chronicle and moved to London where he became a popular and respected contributor to Kensington News and the West London Observer.

Walters is known to have edited, and may have written, the text for Twiss and Son's guide book which appeared a number of years later.

Nothing is known about William Morgan Robbins before he began work in Ilfracombe circa 1878. He was one of the most influential architects for the town during the next years. In addition to the Royal Clarence Hotel and the Berkeley Hotel and stately villas  such as Royston, Grangewood and St Martin´s he was the main architect for the development of Church Street (Northcote Buildings) and the High Street.[3] 

 

Size: 180 x 400 mm (map).     SCALE OF CHAINS (12 = 62 mm). 

TAIT'S SKETCH MAP OF ILFRACOMBE. (Ea). Surveyor's signature: W M ROBBINS SURVEYOR, ILFRACOMBE  in lozenge (Ee).

The map shows the main part of the town. The harbour and Rapharee bathing place (east) and as far as the Parish Church (Ac). The railway station is just shown (Ae). Under the map is a list of references with the map being divided into 20 squares. The index lists all streets and notable residences although these are not shown on the map. Below is a note on use. Sheet size 280 x 440 mm. 

1. 1878  Ilfracombe: A Health Resort. A Guide to the North Devon Coast. By W Walters.

            Ilfracombe. John Tait. (1878).  BL, KB[4].

Brookdale Lodge, home of W M Robbins. Image copright Houses for Sale to Rent.

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[1]See article by Mark Parr for the Holy Trinity Graveyard Group on Facebook.

[2] There is a letter to the Directors of the Ilfracombe Hotel Company dated 1877 on page 71; and one of the advertisements – for the GWR on page 96 – is dated Paddington, July, 1878.

[3] See, for example, the leaflet produced by Ilfracombe Tourist Office: Ilfracombe Town Trail 3.

[4]  DevA as well as Barnstaple and NDA have copies: it is not known whether these copies also contain the map.

 WILLIAM POLLARD

 Thomas Pollard is believed to have first started business as a printer in Exeter in 1791. Details are sparse, but he was probably using letterpress to print stationery, account books, and advertising pamphlets. In the early 1800s William Carss Pollard is known to have continued the family’s printing trade from a factory in 39/40 North Street, Exeter and like most printers at the start of the Victorian provided whatever their clients requested – from advertising posters to timetables and letterbooks.

During the Victorian era and into the early 20th century the business grew substantially under the leadership of William Pollard (son of William Carss) and then his son, Herbert Pollard. They outgrew the premises on North Street and in 1919 opened an impressive new factory at Bampfylde Street. The depression of the 1930s was very tough and during the Second World War trading virtually ceased. On the 4th of May 1942 the factory was completely destroyed in the Exeter Blitz. The company’s insurers would not fully cover the claim and after the war the company had to be rebuilt largely from scratch. The company was gradually rebuilt through the 1950s and 60s. When the country’s largest manufacturers of weighbridges, Avery and Weightron, were frustrated with the quality of tickets supplied for their machines the Pollard company created a specialised production centre to focus on this market and remain the undisputed market leader of weighbridge tickets today.[1]

Although the cover title to the work below is Pollard’s Official History and Guide to Exeter it is clear from both the map itself and the paragraph of comments on the reverse of the map that this booklet was produced in anticipation of the visit of the Church Congress which took place in October 1894. 

Size: 170 x 213.  No Scale. 

Church Congress, 1894. KEY MAP OF THE City and County of the City of Exeter. (Ce). A simple plan of Exeter with the old city wall line marked red with note to that effect below the map. There is a panel outside the right border (forming the third of three folding leaves) with a key to buildings numbered on the plan. No signature or imprint. The right panel on reverse has information for those attending the congress on rail tickets. 

1.   1894    Pollard’s Official Guide to Exeter ......

  Exeter.William Pollard. 1894.   DevA, KB.

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[1] Taken from the Pollard website at: http://pollardsprint.co.uk/history.html.

ARTHUR PEARSON 

Charles Arthur Pearson produced a series of Gossipy Guides at the end of the 19^th century. Like the Ward and Lock series of guides they were full of photographic material in a handy pocket size. Two guides were produced covering Devon: Guide to Ilfracombe and District (cover title; number 4 in the series); and Guide to South Devon (number 8 in the series). Both volumes were published 1900-1901.

Pearson took maps from different sources to include in his two Devon guides. The map of South Devon included in that guide was a transfer of Bartholomew’s map (see Bartholomew Imperial 8): however, the map of North Devon is taken from the plates prepared by George Ravenstein for George Philip in 1899. The scale reveals that this is a Philip’s map: the scale of 1:200,000 was first used for Philip’s 10-sheet Road Map of England & Wales.

Another local trader also used transfers of this map to produce a folding map: Varnan, Mitchel & Co. Ltd of the Weekly News Office were selling a Tourist And Cycling Map of North Devon District about 1908. The North Devon guide also included a page of small sketch road maps (South Devon had maps for cyclists).

 

Size: 170 x 450 mm.  Scale 1:200 000 or 3.15 Statute Miles to 1 Inch (10 = 80 mm). 

PEARSON’S MAP TO NORTH DEVON. (CaOS). Imprint: C ARTHUR PEARSON, LIMITED, LONDON, W C (CeOS) with Copyright (AeOS). Signature: George Philip & Son, London & Liverpool (EeOS). Scale (Aa).

Area covered is from Lundy (Aa) and Hartland Point (Ae) across to Minehead (Ea) and Bampton (Ee). Map is taken from the map produced by Ernest George Ravenstein, Philip's Topographical Map of England & Wales, for George Philip in 1899 (B&B 179).

 1. 1901  Pearson’s Gossipy Guide to Ilfracombe ... and the North Devon Coast
              London. C Arthur Pearson Ltd. (1901).  KB[1], BL[2].

 

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NOTES:

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[1] This volume also includes four very rough sketch maps (pp. viiia and 1x) of roads in the area.

[2] BL 10358.cc.59 has green cover; cover title is Pearson’s Gossipy Guide to Ilfracombe and District.The four road maps are now on pages ix and x. Accession date stamp: 29 OC 1901, the Preface is signed C.H. and it contains 159 pages of which 150-159 are book advertisements plus 8 unnumbered pages of duplicate ads.