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 9^th 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].

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[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).

 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.

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[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.