124. Thomas Rowlandson 1850

In 1850 three reports on the agriculture of the westcountry appeared in the Illustrated London News.¹ The first in the series, Cornwall, appeared on August 17th on page 151 which was almost certainly part of a supplement.² A week later Part II was published with a report on Devon in the edition of August 24th. The report appeared on page 178 which was not a supplementary page. Part III, covering Somerset, was published on another supplementary page (p. 218) on September 7th.

The first report on Cornwall has a short introductory note written by Thomas Rowlandson³: ... it is intended to give a series of papers on British Agriculture. However, it would appear that only these three articles were ever published. Devon was signed Thomas Rowlandson and Somerset merely T.R. implying strongly that Rowlandson wrote all three and intended to write more.

The maps themselves are small untitled maps of each county showing only the principal towns by number with a reference below. Somerset and Devon have the main railway lines, e.g. Devon with the railway from Exeter to Plymouth, but the line to Exeter is erroneously drawn from the east, i.e. from Yeovil (which was completed by the L&SWR in 1860) and not the line from Bristol completed in 1844. The sea is shaded and there is a North point (Bd on Devon). Cornwall and Somerset also have coats of arms.

Size of engraved area: 65 x 60 mm.                                                                                                                                                     No scale.

No title, but text begins PART II. - DEVONSHIRE