EDWARD WELLER

Between 1858 and 1862 a set of maps was printed in the Weekly Dispatch newspaper. These were engraved by Edward Weller, Benjamin Rees Davies, T Ettling, J W Lowry and John James Dower (whose father engraved a Devon map for Moule, 111) and lithographed by Weller or Day & Son Lithographer to the Queen. Most of the plates were taken over first by Cassell, Petter and Galpin and later by G W Bacon.

The map of Devonshire which appeared was printed on two sheets, appearing in November 1858 and April 1859, the date being embossed on the map itself. However, the series also included separate maps (i.e. not county based) of the railway networks. The Great Western Railway was issued on 4 sheets: Sheet 1 - London to Reading, Oxford &c.; Sheet 2 - Continuation to Bath & Bristol; Sheet 3 - Bristol to Exeter & Plymouth; and Sheet 4 - Oxford to Chester. These appeared in The Weekly Dispatch on the following dates. August 4th, August 25th and September 29th, 1861 and November 16th, 1862, respectively. Each page was c. 45 x 31 cm, with each map sheet divided into several columns; each sheet had the date embossed as usual.

Devon and the railway maps were engraved by Edward Weller, a very successful engraver who produced work for McLeod (140); for Collins County Geographies; Philips' Atlas of the Counties, and he also produced maps for John Murray, eg the town plans of Plymouth and Exeter. His son, Francis Sidney Weller, also produced a large number of maps including some in the Comprehensive Gazetteer (1894) and for natural histories (eg Lincs).


Size: 455 x 310 mm. Scale of Half an Inch to the Mile (8 = 100 mm).

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY & C. (CaOS) with SHEET 3 BRISTOL TO EXETER & PLYMOUTH just below. With winged Mercury[1] above half globe and ribbon “THE DISPATCH ATLAS” (Ea). Imprint: Weekly Dispatch 139 Fleet Street (AeOS). Signatures E.Weller. Lithogr. (DeOS) and Drawn & Engraved by Edwd Weller FRGS 34 Red Lion Square (EeOS). Embossed emblem with date of issue: September 29th, 1861 in top left hand corner.

The map is in 4 detailed vertical parts:

L/H (full height) - Bristol to Taunton; Centre Left (2/3 height) - Taunton to Exeter with the branch to Tiverton; Centre right (1/2 height) - Yeovil Branch from Bristol; and R/H (full height) - Exeter to Plymouth with the branch to Torquay.

1. 1861 As described, with embossed emblem with date of issue (KB[2]).

2. 1863 Emblem with date of issue removed.

The Dispatch Atlas
London. Weekly Dispatch Office. 1863. BL, C, RGS, BCL, CB, W.

 RETURN to Catalogue of Maps 

NOTES:

[1] On the other three sheets there are two figures of Mercury etc., placed either side of the title.

[2] A previous owner has pasted the publisher's map descriptions onto the versos of three of the sheets; publisher's date stamps to margins are not always top left.


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