Tourist Maps of Devon

  Henry Besley Few local printers published extensively but Henry Besley of Exeter could probably claim to have been one of the most prolific of a family of local publishers. The family-run business had a long tradition. Thomas Besley (Senior) was born in 1760 and married Jane Andrew Strong of St. Sidwell on 26th September 1790. They had 6 children including Thomas who married in 1814 and who also became a printer in Exeter; Robert, born 14th October 1794 (died 1876), a typefounder in the firm of Thorowgood and Besley and who became Lord Mayor of London 1869-70; and Henry (baptised 15th June 1800 at Holy Trinity) who eventually became partner and successor to the family business. Thomas had various business addresses as printer, bookseller and stationer or bookbinder (1823). He is listed in various directories of the time as being registered at Southgate Street (1801 and 1811), Holy Trinity (1803), Bell Hill (1816 and 1832) and at 76, Bell Hill, South Street (1822 and 1834). Tho...

 Besley 9  Dartmoor 2 Size: 520 x 395 mm.           SCALE OF MILES (1+5 = 100 mm). DARTMOOR. (underlined). Imprints: Printed & Published by H. Besley & Son, Directory Office, South S t . Exeter . ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL (CeOS). Title (Ee); North point (Aa); Scale bar of five lines (Ee). Villages and bartons in lower case, sites in upper case, eg tor or cross. Two line border (both lines have same thickness) with round shaping in corners. Large map folding into plain green boards. Concentrates on the area of the Forest with outlying areas left blank. Map is essentially identical to an earlier map of Dartmoor by Besley (see Besley 8 ) but better executed, crisper lines, stronger hill shading. Railways shown from Yeoford Junction (Ea, with directions to Exeter and to N. Devon shown) as far as Plymouth (Ae) meeting the line from Totnes (Ee). The Buckfastleigh railway to Ashburton is also shown, Moretonhampstead Branch (2 words) as are the...

Besley 8   In the 1870s, some time after Besley junior became a partner, the company produced a map of Dartmoor. For some reason, father and son were unhappy with the map or perhaps the plates became damaged, but only a few years later a second, almost exact copy was printed and published. It is very difficult to identify any additions, only towns seem to have been represented rather more effectively on the later map with more buildings represented, e.g. at Okehampton (Oakhampton in earlier map - see below). Otherwise all the information is the same but the font used is better and also the standard of printing. See Besley 9 for the later map.  Dartmoor 1 Size: 520 x 395 mm.         SCALE OF MILES (1+5 = 100 mm).   DARTMOOR . Imprints: Printed & Published by H. Besley & Son, Directory Office, South Street. Exeter . ENTERED AT STATIONER'S HALL (CeOS). Title (Ee); North point (Aa); Scale bar of three lines (Ee). Plain two-line border (thicker...

 Besley 7 Four very similar maps appeared about the same time covering the area of north Devon between Ilfracombe and Lynton. All three cover exactly the same area from Hartland to Minehead and include smaller maps of Ilfracombe and of Lynton with Lynmouth and all three are of similar size. The coast section is taken from Besley's map of North Devon (see B&B 134 North) of 1857. This later map was included in editions of the Route Book and in the Hand Book of North Devon which both have advert pages with the notation (71) on the first page: a typical dating technique of Besley’s, indicating publication in 1871.  Three of these maps were lithographed by Charles King of Exeter. The first version appeared in 1868, published by John Banfield for his Shilling Guide-Book to North Devon , now in its fourth edition (see Banfield 7). The map is dated 1868, so predates Besley by two years.  William Stewart began publishing guides to north Devon and Ilfracombe about the same t...

  Besley 6   Size: 280 x 382 mm.                                                   Scale of English Miles (7 = 88 mm).   SOUTH EAST DEVON . Imprint: Printed & Published by Henry Besley, Directory Office, South  Street, Exeter (CeOS): and signature Engraved by W E Trott   (AeOS) 2 Tysoe St London EC (EeOS). Graticuled border from Dawlish to Lyme and inland to Cullompton. No railway to Hemyock (1876). Thick dashed line Feniton to Sidmouth and thinner dashed line from (approx.) Harpford to Budleigh and Exmouth. 1. 1871 The Route Book Of Devon Exeter. H Besley. (1871). KB. 2. 1876 Both parts of the signature have been erased. Hand Book Of South East Devon Exeter. H Besley and Son. (1876). BL [...

  Besley 5             Size: 365 x 215 mm. Scale of Miles (2 = 45 mm). PLAN OF TORQUAY, From the Ordnance Survey (Ea). Imprint: Printed & Published by Henry Besley, Directory Office, South Street, Exeter. [1] (CeOS). Signature: Engraved by Becker & Son, Stationers' Court, London . (EeOS). Torquay Branch Railway (to Torre which is not named). Direction from Cockington (Ac). Most houses are numbered. Illustrated. 1. 1856 South of Devon and Dartmoor Exeter. H Besley. (1856 [2] ). TQ, KB. 2. 1865 Torquay Branch Railway (Torre not named) then dotted, Intended Railway from Dartmouth. Direction from Cockington and Paignton (Ac). House numbers deleted. Reservoir added on Warberry Hill. The Route Book Of Devon ... New Edition Exeter. H Besley. (1865), (1869 [3] ). KB, RGS, DevA; DevA. 3. 1864 Dartmouth Railway to Torquay; neither station named. St Mathias Church at near Kents Cavern; the Manor House added...

  Besley 4   Size: 220 x 360 mm.                                                                         SCALE OF YARDS (1500 = 78 mm).   PLYMOUTH, DEVONPORT AND STONEHOUSE (Ed). Imprint: Printed & Published by Henry Besley, Directory Office, South Street, Exeter.   (CeOS). Signature: Engraved by BECKER'S Patent Process on Steel, 11 Stationers' Court, London. (EeOS). The railway is shown as solid line to Plymouth.   1. 1852 Hand Book of   Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse   Extracted from the Route Book Exeter. H Besley. (1852 [1] ).       KB.     The Ro...

  Besley 3 The agricultural show in Exeter  in 1850 was obviously a big occasion and Besley seized the chance to produce a guide specially for the show. Although he could easily have included the map of Exeter that he had been using since 1845 (and continued to use until circa 1900) he had a new plan made which also included the plan of the showground itself. The map is slightly unorthodox as it goes back to the Hooker orientation of showing the River Exe from left to right. This is, in fact, quite a pleasing perspective as Fore Street with High Street and Sidwell Street is now vertically central and North and South Streets intersect forming a cross. The map had an outline of the showground to the right with a larger plan below. A note at the end of Sidwell Street guides the visitor to the heavy soil trial field and another at the end of Heavitree and Magdalen Roads has to the light soil trial field. The first section (to xxxvi) are devoted to the show and this is followed b...

  Besley 2   Size: 235 x 280 mm.     SCALE (10 + 30 = 40 mm).   EXETER, Corrected to the Present Time, BY J. WARREN , SURVEYOR (Ed). Imprint: Published by Henry Besley, Directory Office, South St, Exeter.  (CeOS). Signature: Engraved by the Omnigraph, F P Becker, & Co.  Patentees (AeOS) and address 12, Paternoster Row (EeOS). Plain three line border Title (Ba); North point (Ca); Reference table (Ad); Scale bar (Ee). Shows the Bristol and Exeter Railway Station on the South Devon Railway.   1. 1845    The Route Book Of Devon   ...                                                             Exeter. H Besley . (1845).             DevA, BL [1] , KB.   The Route Book Of Devon ... Second Edition            ...