150. John Bartholomew – Imperial Map 1872

Among the earliest involvements of John Bartholomew II (1805-1861) in English county mapping was his engraving of the Imperial Map of England & Wales published in 1868 in atlas form on 16 sheets. Although originally sectional maps of England and Wales were prepared from the plates, later they were used to produce county maps. The publisher of the Imperial Map was Archibald Fullarton, who commissioned it to replace the earlier maps from his Parliamentary Gazetteer (107). Besides the large sheet map of England and Wales, with its instructions on how to form a wall map the Gazetteer also included many plates of scenery and architecture. Throughout the life of these plates updated transfers at different sizes, in similar style but newly titled, were taken to produce county and regional maps, excursion maps and local guides by publishers such as W H Smith (see below) Houlston & Son, Houlston & Wright, Milligan & Co., Hiorns and Miller, Abel Heywood, G W Bacon & Co.,¹ Charles Pearson², Varnan Chown & Co.³ and also for Darlington’s Devon and Cornwall guide (c.1908) which used a transfer of North Devon.

Transfers were taken for sectional maps for guides, e.g. Dulau and Co’s Thorough Guides series (157); maps published in The Royal Atlas of England and Wales (see 175); and John Murray used transfers of this map in the 11th edition of his guide. Bartholomew's own Road Map of England and Wales (a later version of W H Smith) was issued c.1903 (with Devon and Cornwall on sheet 10).

The first county map of Devon seen taken from the Imperial Map was a folding lithograph map published by John Heydon, printer, stationer and book-seller in Devonport, according to White's Gazetteer of Devonshire, 1850. In 1857 Heydon was advertising himself as Bookseller, Stationer, Printer, Music Seller, News Agent, &c. at 104 Fore Street Devonport and 47 Treville Street in Plymouth (Billing´s Directory). He was also a major seller of second-hand and new books for sale at very low prices. How Heydon came across the map or why he added the Plymouth Forts is unknown⁴. He possibly sold it as a tourist's map of Plymouth. He also published three maps of Plymouth (including an edition of a map by John Cary) and a print of Brunel’s bridge at Saltash.⁵

The map of Devon was next issued by W H Smith, a company started by two brothers c.1820, Henry Edward and William Henry, who actually ran the company. But it was not until his son, also William Henry (1825-1891), became a partner in 1846 that the firm became the well-known booksellers and stationers. In 1848 he started a newsagent shop at Euston with a concession from the L&NW Railway. This was soon to be converted into a virtual railway book-stall monopoly. The firm soon became the largest newsagent in the country and expanded further into circulating libraries. William Henry later entered Parliament and became the First Lord of the Admiralty in 1877 (Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore was supposedly based on him).⁶ W H Smith used to have an estate in Rewe in east Devon where he had a stable built opposite St Mary the Virgin church for the use of the parishoners so that they could tie up their horses.⁷

The Imperial Map was continually updated and W H Smith used it for their general series of Tourists‘ Maps & Plans of England. The series included North and South Devon, Environs of Plymouth and Environs of Exeter.

Black’s Guide To Devonshire included Bartholomew’s map in all editions after 1882 (see 142). Originally the guide, printed by R & R Clark of Edinburgh, contained two maps: a sketch, or index map on the inside front cover; and the county map, taken from the Imperial Map. The county map was originally on two sheets inserted between text pages, in the fourteenth edition it was on four sheets and later it was a single sheet, folded and located in a pocket formed carefully on the back cover. In 1892 Black's guide was extensively revised by "C W", probably Charles Worthy who had also edited some of Murray's guides. The fifteenth edition of Black`s guide was revised by A R Hope Moncrieff who was the editor of a number of topographical guide books for Blacks into the 1920s. A seventeenth edition was issued in 1902.

Size: 473 x 568 mm.                                                                                                              SCALE 4 MILES TO AN INCH (12  = 75 mm).

JOHN HEYDON’S MAP OF THE ENVIRONS OF PLYMOUTH, DEVONPORT AND STONEHOUSE, OR PEDESTRIANS COMPANION. Signature: J Bartholomew Edinr (EeOS). Shows all but the extreme south east corner of the county with Cornwall to Gerrans Bay. Key includes railways, railways in progress and symbols for forts and batteries around Plymouth. Devon railways: Kingsbridge, Seaton, Watchet, Exmouth, Tiverton, Bideford, Kingswear with Brixham, Ashburton, Moreton Hampstead, Plymouth to Launceston and Exeter to Greenslade. Proposed lines: Sidmouth, complete Dartmoor Loop with branches Launceston to Bodmin, Greenslade-Hatherleigh-Holsworthy-Bude and Bideford to Torrington and Hatherleigh, Ilfracombe via Bittadon. Village of Elmdon named near Sourton.