Cassell & Co. Ltd

Cassell 6 - Guides to Sidmouth

The Day Brothers were Sidmouth proprietors with premises in the High Street. They advertised themselves as high class stationers, booksellers, newsagents etc. and were the office of the Sidmouth Observer and visitor’s list; Published every Wednesday, price one penny. They published a guide to Sidmouth in 1888 or 1889; Rambles Round About Sidmouth – being a guide to the pretty walks and favourite drives of this fashionable health resort. This work was written and compiled by C D S and was available as a paperback for 6d. This guide is relatively scarce and was possibly not a commercial success, which would explain its rapid replacement. The map in this work was taken from the W & A K Johnston map and covered a wide area surrounding Sidmouth.

In 1894 Macvean and Williams published their guide to Sidmouth. As they note in the preface, much of the content was the work of P O Hutchinson, local historian and writer of works on Sidmouth and environments. The work was issued in attractive original paper-covered printed boards and included a one-page map as well as 6 photographic plates. This book seems to have replaced the guide Rambles Round Sidmouth publshed just a few years before but with a smaller portion of the same W & A K Johnston map. The map being once again a transfer of the plates of Johnston’s Modern Map of England and Wales but now in colour. 

Cassell / Day Brothers 

Size: 192 x 256 mm.                        English Miles 69.16 – 1 Degree (20 = 92 mm). 

PUBLISHED BY DAY BROTHERS, WITH THEIR GUIDE TO SIDMOUTH above top border. Signature: Engraved by W & A K Johnston. Edinburgh & London. Detailed map of east Devon with parts of south Somerset and west Dorset; Sidmouth centrally. Barnstaple (top left) and Castle Cary (top right) with coast of Devon and Dorset from Torquay to Portland. Railways complete to 1888. 

1. 1889            Rambles Round About Sidmouth  Sidmouth. Day Brothers. (1889).      KB.

 

2. 1894           Map title now SIDMOUTH AND SURROUNDING DISTRICT. (Ee) with scale bar below. Signature: Engraved by W & A K Johnston. Edinburgh & London. (EeOS). Map shows a smaller area north and east of Tor Bay including Dulverton and Taunton to Lyme Regis. Size: 165 x 120 mm. English Miles (5 + 10 = 55). 

The English Riviera: a guide to Sidmouth; with remarks on its history, climate, amusements by Neil Macvean and Leonard Williams      

Sidmouth. Day Bros. 1894.      DevA, KB, [NDL], [Exm]. 

Cassell & Co., Ltd 

Cassell 5a - 5c 

Towards the end of the nineteenth century a number of gazetteer-style works appeared. In 1894 F S Weller's maps appeared in The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales edited by J H F Brabner. This contained the traditional county format maps but also a few town plans (see Weller, F S for a plan of Plymouth etc.). But the days of the county atlas were coming to a close. More and more works were using the sheet-style format where county boundaries were no longer considered. Cary's maps 100 years earlier had utilised this technique (see Cary's New and Improved Maps but it was not a popular format at that time.

In 1898 Cassell's brought out a six volume gazetteer including 60 maps. The atlas had actually been issued in parts between 1893-1898. The volumes contained a place by place description and history of every city, town, village and hamlet in the whole of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the true gazetteer style. It was liberally illustrated with very detailed maps of the countries. Devon was mostly represented on Sheets XIX, XX and XXV but a small portion of the western border was included with Cornwall on Sheet XXIV. Map XIX appeared in Volume II of the part-work; maps XXV and XX appeared in Volume III. These maps were prepared by W & A K Johnston.

W & A K Johnston were among the leading publishers of cartographic material in Great Britain during the nineteenth century. They engraved and published their Modern Map of England and Wales which was not only used to prepare maps of Devon and Cornwall (together) for Murray’s Handbooks between 1858 and 1876 but also subsequently issued as Johnston’s Modern County Atlas in 1889. 

The original plates had a long life time as the actual mapping had been carried out over 50 years before. Murray´s various Handbooks for Travellers had included maps taken from the original plates as early as 1858 but it was not until 1889, i.e. just before Cassell´s bought thir sectonal maps, that the company of W & A K Johnston brought the maps out in an atlas. The Modern County Atlas of England & Wales only appeared once. It would seem that the Johnstons were more successful in supplying others with sections. Only one copy of The Handy Library of England and Wales published by C W Deacon is known although the same company included large maps in its Devon and Cornwall County Guide (1896). The history of these maps is described in Victorian Maps of Devon entry 135 (click to access).  

Maps from these plates were also used in a guide to Sidmouth published by the Day Bros., see next entry. 

Size: 190 x 275 mm.                                         English Miles (10 = 55 mm). 

ENGLAND MAP XIX or XX or XXV (EaOS). Signature: W & A K Johnston, Edinburgh and London (AeOS) and  imprint: Cassell & Company, Limited, London. (EeOS).

Map XIX has Northwest Devon, Lynmouth to Tavistock with Porthcothan (Ae); XX has Northeast Devon; and XXV shows all south coast from Plymouth to Abbotsbury (Dorset).    

 1. 1898      Cassell’s Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland London, Paris & Melbourne. Cassell & Co., Ltd. 1898.                                                 KB.

Sheets XIX and XXV

 

---

Cassell & Co., Ltd 

Cassell 3 & 4 - Railway Guides

Although many railway publications and timetables published by the various operators included maps, these were generally larger regional plans showing the complete network or parts thereof. Cassells published both The Official Guide to the Great Western Railway and The Official Guide to the London & South Western Railway. The former guide contained a map very similar to the county map of Devon found in the latter publication (B&B 165) and the latter guide included plans of railway terminii, including Exeter and Plymouth.

Paperback (card) cover to 1890 GWR Guide. 

With thanks to Gerald Baker Books.[1]

These works were almost definitely published annually (although very few are held by any public libraries) and typically published both as hardback (red covers, 2s) or as paperback pocket editions (1s) in card covers. The paperback GWR edition of 1884, for example, had illustrations of Paddington Station and Saltash bridge, while in 1890 a picture of Torquay was depicted (above). 

Cassell 3 - The Official Guide to the Great Western Railway

Size: c.130 x 200 mm. No Scale. 

ROUTE MAP. – IV. EXETER TO PLYMOUTH. (CeOS). No imprint. Signature: S (or J) GULMAN Lith (Ae).

Simple sketch map of the south of Devon.

1. 1884 The Official Guide to the Great Western Railway
London. Cassell & Co., Ltd. 1884, 1890. KB, GBB.

2. 1897  Title has been extended to read: ROUTE MAP. – IV. EXETER TO TORQUAY, DARTMOUTH, PLYMOUTH, AND DEVONPORT. The main route (Exeter to Plymouth) has been strengthened. 

The Official Guide to the Great Western Railway – New and Revised Edition
London. Cassell & Co., Ltd. 1897. TB.

 

Cassell 4a & 4b The Official Guide to the London & South Western Railway

Cassell 4a

Size: 130 x 200 mm. No Scale.

PLAN OF EXETER (CeOS). Imprints: London and South Western Railway Official Guide (AeOS) and Cassell & Company, Limited, London (EeOS). Light sepia colour.

Cassell 4b

Size: 125 x 200 mm. No Scale.

PLAN OF PLYMOUTH (CeOS). Imprints: London and South Western Railway Official Guide (AeOS) and Cassell & Company, Limited, London (EeOS). Light sepia colour.

1. 1888 The Official Guide to the London & South Western Railway 

London. Cassell & Co., Ltd. 1888, 1889, 1891. RGS; RGS; KB.

 

---

[1] GWR Guide cover provided by Gerald Baker of Gerald Baker Books, Bristol (http://www.bakersbooks.co.uk/page1.html). Town plan and sketch map illustrations kindly provided by the late Tony Burgess.

Cassell & Co., Ltd 

Cassell 2a–e 

Our Own Country ... Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial was produced originally in 1882 (two volumes in a five-volume set are dated) and some time later also for subscribers in 6 volumes[1]. Subscriber’s copies seen are undated and have a title page differing from the other editions, with the words SPECIAL EDITION. The map of Exmoor (vol. 2) has a small portion of the coast east of Lynton. Although the volumes are packed with maps and plans, many have no scale and only maps in the fifth volume of the early set had a printer's signature.

 Cassell 2a 

Size: 135 x 52 mm.                                                              No Scale. 

MAP OF THE COURSE OF THE PLYM (CeOS). No signature or imprint. The area covered is from Prince Town (top) to the Breakwater (bottom). Volume 1, p.67. 

Cassell 2b 

Size: 60 x 105 mm.                                                             No Scale. 

MAP OF NORTH DEVON (CeOS). No signature or imprint. The area covered is from Lundy (northwest) to the Foreland and Meshaw (northeast and southeast). Volume 3, p.99. 

Cassell 2c 

Size: 90 x 138 mm.                                                   (5 = 32 mm) MILES. 

MAP OF SOUTH DEVON (CeOS). Signature: Typo-etching Co., del, et &c (EeOS). Oriented with west top. Area covered from Dartmouth and Kingswear (Ac) to Hennock and Exmouth (Ea and Ee). Volume 5, p.52. 

Cassell 2d 

Size: 85 x 134 mm.               No Scale. 

MAP OF EXETER (CeOS). No signature or imprint. The area covered is from Hermitage (Ab) to Heavitree (Ed). Volume 2, p.161. 

Cassell 2e 

Size: 60 x 80 mm.                                                          No Scale. 

OLD PLAN OF EXETER (CeOS). No signature or imprint. Miniature reproduction of Braun and Hogenberg. Volume 2, p.165. 

1. 1882            Our Own Country ... Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial Subscriber's Set

                        London, Paris & Melbourne. Cassell & Co., Ltd.1882[2].                       KB.

 

                        Our Own Country ... Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial Subscriber's Set

                        London, Paris & Melbourne. Cassell & Co., Ltd.1898.                              FB.

                       

Our Own Country ... Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial
London, Paris & Melbourne. Cassell & Co., Ltd. 1898.                               KB.

---

[1] Volume number of the subscriber set is sometimes shown by the number of stars on the spine.

[2] The author has a set of five volumes; Volumes IV and V are dated 1882.

 Cassell & Co., Ltd 

Publishers at La Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, Cassell, Petter & Galpin first venture into publishing maps was when they purchased the plates and stock of the Weekly Dispatch Atlas in 1864 and immediately advertised their atlas. These maps were also issued weekly as loose sheets to the readers of Cassell's Illustrated Family Newspaper.[1]

John Cassell (1817-1865) was a supporter of the teetotal movement and is known to have visited the westcountry in 1840/41.[2] He had founded a tea and coffee business before going into publishing but then printed a number of works aimed at the working man such as almanacks, tracts, a temperance monthly and a weekly radical newspaper. He ventured into book publishing in 1850 and in 1851 was advertising guides to the Great Exhibition. Thomas Dixon Galpin (b.1828) and George William Petter ran a printing business with which Cassell worked frequently. In 1855 Cassell ran into financial problems and Petter and Galpin bought his business, retaining the Cassell name and moving into his printing premises. John Cassell died in 1865. Thomas Galpin was related to George Lock of Ward, Lock & Co.[3]

Our Own Country ... Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial was produced originally in 1882. The five maps are set in a page of text in the various volumes. Click here to access.

From 1884 Cassells published The Official Guide to the Great Western Railway. This guide contained a number of maps and plans including Route Maps and Map IV showed parts of south Devon. From 1888 Cassells published The Official Guide to the London & South Western Railway. This guide also contained maps and plans including plans of Exeter and Plymouth. Click here for access.

Cassell’s Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, published in London, Paris & Melbourne by Cassell & Co., Ltd from 1893 to 1898 (it was ssued in parts) which had sectional maps of the British Isles and two showed most of Devon. Click here to access.

The W & A K Johnston plates were used to prepare maps for two Sidmouth guides by Day Brothers and by Macvean and Williams. Click here.

Cassell 1 - Chanter

John Chanter's second work was published circa 1877 and contained a map of the island of Lundy. There are no signatures or imprints to confirm whether or not the map was drawn by Chanter himself. Much of the material had been contributed to the Devonshire Association as early as 1871 and printed in their Transactions of the same year. This was an updated and expanded edition. The work was published by W Brendon and Son of Plymouth who frequently printed the Devonshire Association Transactions.

In addition to the works quoted above, Cassell´s first map of a Devon area was one that they used to illustrate a book on Lundy by John Roberts Chanter (1816-1895) a local historian. The originator and First Honorary Secretary of the Barnstaple Literary and Scientific Institute (1845–1861) Chanter's first work containing a map was published in 1865; the map being a plan of the town of Barnstaple. Sketches of Some Striking Incidents in the History of Barnstaple was printed and sold by E J Arnold of High Street, Barnstaple and was a summarised history of the chief events of the town. Although not actually covered by the scope of this work both works have been included for those who are interested in his works. The map of Lundy described here is one of very few published before 1900. Click here to access History of Barnstaple. The North Devon Athenaeum has an oil painting of him by an unknown artist. [4]

Size: 365 x 240 mm.                        No scale. 

MAP OF LUNDY ISLAND. The simple sketch map shows the island only with the coastal cliffs well hachured. REFERENCES (Be-De), compass with Magnetic Variation (Aa) but no scale.

1. 1877 Lundy Island: A Monograph, Descriptive and Historical ... By John Roberts Chanter
London. Cassell, Petter, And Galpin. 1877[5].   KB, BL.

---

[1]  One of Cassell's more successful ventures, this paper began in 1853 and, under different titles, survived until 1932. Full coverage of this work is in The Victorian Maps of Devon entry 136. (Click to access.)
[2]  S Nowell-Smith; 1958; pp. 8, 29, 42, 51ff and D Smith; Cassell and Co; in The IMCoS Journal; Issue 70; 1997.
[3]  Edward Liveing in Adventure in Publishing (Ward Lock & Co. Ltd; 1954; p.29) recounts that Cassell, Petter and Galpin sold quantities of maps from the Dispatch Atlas to Ward and Lock in 1863.
[4] Image n-line at https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/john-roberts-chanter-1816-1895-unknown-artist/OgGew1cNe4ryBA?hl=en 
[5] Preface is dated 1877, Fort Hill, Barnstaple, although no date is on title page.