160. Western Morning News 1885

As a service to its readers the Western Morning News newspaper published a map in 1885 detailing the new electoral districts as affected by the Redistribution of Seats Act of the same year. This map was coloured to show changes and had a Reference Key (Ee): Parliamentary Divisions are Red; Petty Sessional Areas are Black; and Boroughs are shaded.

There were (at least) two states of the map. The railway system as shown on both states is a little confusing. Although the line from Newton Abbot is shown to Paignton, which opened for traffic on 1st August 1859, neither the extension to Kingswear nor to Brixham, which were completed in 1864 and 1868 respectively, are included. In addition, the wrong route is shown to Ilfracombe and the Exeter to Bampton line via Tiverton is not shown although this would certainly have been near completion at the time of printing. The copy in Exeter also has the line to Kingsbridge; although projected since the 1870s it would not be completed until the 1890s.

Size: 540 x 737 mm.                                                                                                                                                                             No Scale.

DEVON & CORNWALL ELECTORAL DISTRICTS, ACCORDING TO THE REDISTRIBUTION ACT OF 1885.  Printed expressly for AND ISSUED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE “WESTERN MORNING NEWS” C^o.L^D. PRICE THREEPENCE. Plain border broken for North Foreland, Axminster and Lands End. Inset of the SCILLY ISLANDS (Ac). The railway is shown to Kingsbridge.

Illustration courtesy of Devon Archives & Local Studies, Exeter - PM WES/1885/WES.