149. George Philip & Son - Handy Atlas 1872

George Philip & Son published a very successful county atlas in 1862 (see 141). Philips' Handy Atlas originally contained 35 English county maps (some maps with two counties, for example Cambridge and Huntingdon), maps of the English railways, North and South Wales which included a set of smaller county maps that appeared in other works from c.1872. Many of the maps were issued before the atlas appeared as individual county maps with a special text and cover for school use; The Geography of Devonshire for use in Schools by Rev. J P Faunthorpe MA, FRGS and first issued in 1872. [1]

John Pincher Faunthorpe graduated from London University in 1865, was ordained priest three years later and was Vice-Principal of St. John's College in Battersea and later the principal of Whitelands College in Chelsea. He wrote other geographies for schools, including Elementary Physical Atlas and Geography of the British Colonies. It is not known how many County Geographies were completed.

Many of Philips’ maps appeared in directories: in 1873 some county maps were published as Butcher & Co`s Series of Directory Maps (e.g., Glamorgan), Butcher, Cole & Co.´s Series of Directory Maps (e.g., Somerset), Butcher & Co.´s Series of Directory Maps (e.g., Dorset), and in 1878 Eyre's Shilling County Guides appeared with Eyre Brothers´ Series of Guide Map s(e.g., Sussex). Devon and Cornwall may also have been planned for inclusion in this series, and the two counties are known in a guide from 1878.  Stevens' Postal Directories Publishing Co. produced a small series of directories and a Philips map with title Steven's Series of Directory Maps (London. Stevens, c.1891) is known (BL has Hants.). The Eyre Brothers (actually George Pallant Butcher)[2] produced a number of gudes and these included maps printed and made available by Philip & Son.

The Handy Atlas was re-issued post-1901 with a new map imprint: London Geographical Institute. George Philip & Son, Ltd. (London and Liverpool by George Philip, Son & Nephew.). H Rider Haggard of King Solomon’s Mine fame wrote Rural England in 1902 which included a late edition of the Devon map with new overprinting of geological information.[3] The map was adapted to include both physical and geological features and printed on the inside covers of the Cambridge County Geographies - Devonshire by Francis Knight and Louie Dutton published from 1910.[4] The plates were used until c.1938 (in Philips' Handy Administrative Atlas of England & Wales). Further use was made of the plates to produce Philips´ Visual Contour Atlas as late as the 1940s. There were special county editions and one for Devonshire (with four extra maps based on Devon) has been seen[5].

 

     

Faunthorpe's Geography of Devonshire included three sketch maps of the county1

Size: 194 x 145 mm.                                                                                                                                                     English Miles (12 = 25 mm).

THE COUNTY OF DEVON with scale, note on 3 Parliamentary areas and key (Ee). Imprint: GEORGE PHILIP & SON LONDON & LIVERPOOL (CeOS). Imprint [for this issue only]: PHILIPS’ EDUCATIONAL SERIES OF COUNTY MAPS (CaOS). No page number. Railways to date but Kingsbridge (along Avon river).

1.   1872 The Geography of Devonshire for use in Schools - by Rev. J. P. Faunthorpe MA, FRGS  
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1872, 18774.  KB, C; TQ.
       
2. 1873 Top imprint removed. Plate number 9 (EaOS) and on reverse.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas Of The Counties Of England, By John Bartholomew  
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1873.  C, BL, W, B.
       
 3.  1874        Plate number now EeOS, vertically. The railway Bideford-Torrington shown unclearly (obscured by river name), dotted line direct to Ilfracombe from Barnstaple (i.e. east route).  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas Of The Counties Of England, By John Bartholomew  
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1874.  NLS, W.
       
 4.  1876        Sign for railway stations added in key, frame has graticule based on 10 minutes of a degree. Letters A-G horizontally and numbers 1-6 vertically in the borders. Railways added: Ilfracombe (curved westwards) and Sidmouth. Some place names added, e.g. Portsmouth Arms (Torrington), Castle Hill (Sth Molton) and Eggesford near Chulmleigh.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... New And Revised Edition   
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1876.  BL, W, C.
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... New And Revised Edition   
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1877. KB.
       
5. 1877   Philip imprint erased and new added: EYRE BROTHERS’ SERIES OF GUIDE MAPS. (CaOS, measures 120 mm). 10, PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON. (CeOS). No plate number. Signature added: J Bartholomew Edinr (EeOS). Railway from Watchet to Minehead added. Reverse has adverts for College in Torquay (top) and Pickard, Dairyman (below).  
       
    The Watering Places of the South of England  
    London. Eyre Bros. 1877.    KB, [USL].
       
 6. 1878    Eyre imprint: EYRE BROTHERS’ … and address as before (previous state) but imprint measures 80 mm. No plate number. Reverse has adverts for Torquay College (above) and Sopers Carriages (below).  
       
    Eyre's Guide to the Seaside and Visiting Resorts of Devon & Cornwall  
    London. Eyre Bros. 1878.   DevA5, KB.
       
    Eyre's Hotels Of The United Kingdom  
    London. Eyre Bros. (1879).     [BL, Bod, NLS, TCD].
       
 7. 1878        Philip imprints reinstated; references to Eyre and Bartholomew signature deleted. Railway to Hemyock.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... New And Revised Edition   
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1878.  P.
       
 8. 1880        Eyre imprint: EYRE BROTHERS’ and address as before (80 mm). No plate number. Reverse blank. Railway added as straight line to Holsworthy.7  
       
    Eyre Brothers´ Post Office Plymouth District Directory 1st Edition8  
    London. Eyre Brothers. 1880. NLS, KB.
       
9. 1879        Philip imprint replaces Eyre references. Extensive revisions, railway to Holsworthy route corrected with added towns in region, e.g. Halwell, Ashwater and Virginstow near Oakhampton. Ilfracombe line corrected (S not C shape, dotted line deleted) and road Torrington-Crediton added.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... New And Revised Edition      
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1879.     P.
       
10. 1878      EYRE BROTHERS’ imprint as before (80 mm). Address is now 26 & 27 (LATE 10) PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON. (CeOS). Plate number 9. Reverse blank.  
       
    Eyre's Hotels Of The United Kingdom for 1881     
    London. Eyre Bros. 1881.  KB9.
       
 11. 1880      Philips imprint. Railway in Cornwall added with loop through Callington.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... New And Enlarged Edition10  
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1880, (1881), 1882. KB; EB; KB.
       
12. 1882      Railway to Ashburton upgraded (thicker), line to Ashton/Christow added. Kingsbridge line deleted. The Sidmouth line has been slightly altered west of the River Otter before turning eastwards.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... New And Enlarged Edition    
     London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1882, 1884, 1885.   W; P; P.
       
13. 1885      Coloured to show the new political divisions according to the Redistribution Bill, 1885 with note: The colouring represents the Parliamentary Divisions each returning 1 member (Ee). New parliamentary divisions added. Railway Exeter-Bampton added. Railway to Princetown changed to solid line. Cornwall loop has short stretch deleted below Callington. Ashton/Christow line realigned (now bypasses Chudleigh). Maps may have DEVON printed on reverse.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas of the Counties of England including maps of North & South Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Reduced from the Ordnance Survey      
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1885, 1886.    BL, RGS, KB; NLS.
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas of the Counties of England  
    London, Brighton, New York. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. (1885).   P.
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas    
     London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1886.    BL.
       
14.  1886        Page number deleted.  
       
    The Geography of Devonshire - Second Edition. Revised, Enlarged and Corrected    
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. (1886).    KB.
       
15. 1887        Page number reinstated. Railway Launceston - Halwell added.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas  
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890.      BL, C; P; P; KB.
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas of the Counties of England    
     London, Brighton, New York. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. (1887).  P.
       
16. 1892        L&SWR to Tavistock railway.11 Dotted boundary lines to Plymouth and Devonport  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas        
    London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. 1891, 1892, 1893, 1895.    CB; P; W; NLS.
       
17. 1895      Note added (Ee): NOTE. Railway stations marked 'Sta' bear the same names as their nearest town or village. Names of stations added on map. Kingsbridge line redrawn (no longer follows the line of the River Avon) and Launceston line into Cornwall added.  
       
    Philips' Handy Atlas ... with maps of the County of London, North & South Wales, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, ... The maps are coloured to show the political divisions ... shewing every railway station in England and Wales. ... New and Enlarged Edition  
     London and Liverpool. George Philip & Son. (1895), 1895, (1896), 1898.   P; BL, C, W, KB; P; B.
       
 18. 1898 Railway to Budleigh Salterton.   
       
     Philips' Handy Atlas  
     London: G Philip & Son. Liverpool: Philip, Son & Nephew. (1898), 1898, 1900.      BCL, KB; P; P.
       

[1] A total of 15 can be found using the online catalogue JISC. Most are held at the British Library and at Oxford University, all date 1872 or 1873.

[2] See Batten, Kit; The Eyre Brothers; privately printed and submitted to BL and DevA; 2022.

[3] London, New York, Bombay; Longmans, Green, And Co.: The Devon map appeared in Volume One opposite page 175 and had an interesting note in the top left corner: Average weekly wage of ordinary labourers is frequently augmented by a cottage and garden, cider, and potato ground, all free.

[4] The two maps were given new titles, Physical Map Of Devon and Geological Map Of Devon.

[5] Author´s collection.

[4] Second Edition, Revised, Enlarged and Corrected. This was also reissued circa 1886.

[5]  Catalogued as per title page but the binder has Eyres’ Guide to the Watering and Visiting Places of Devon & Cornwall on the cover.

[6] Advertised in Messenger’s Auction Catalogue 9.1.97 and 1879 is given in 1880 edition below.

[7] It is apparent that this was prepared almost a year before it was, in fact, used. It is clearly an interim state between the last and next states. There are also signs of erasure of a Bartholomew signature.

[8] Introduction is dated September, 1880: cover date is 1880-81.

[9] This guide (240pp) was a directory of hotels, clubs and hydropathic establishments and a gazetteer of every important watering place in Britain. It included 42 maps, engraved views of the hotels and many illustrated adverts.

[10] New And Enlarged Edition includes Scotland and Ireland.

[11] Some maps show new colouring: dots replaced by cross-hatching, vertical bars and wash; others still have dotted technique.