14.     Benjamin Donn                                                                                     1765


A Devonian, Benjamin Donn was born in Bideford in 1729. He was a well-known mathematician, writing several articles and letters for the Gentleman´s Magazine, as well as completing his Mathematical Essays between 1756 and 1758. He was a surveyor and teacher of mathematics in Bideford before moving to Bristol. Also interested in tidal flows he published sets of figures for the S W of England. His large-scale map of Devonshire with its inset plan of Exeter is an important map for anyone interested in Devon topography in the eighteenth century (B&B 44). In 1759, the same year he married Mary Anne Wilcocks, the Royal Society of Arts (then known as the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) offered an annual award of £100 for the best original 1 inch to 1 mile county survey. Donn and Isaac Taylors (Dorset) submitted entries but Donn was the first successful applicant with a twelve sheet map of Devonshire, engraved by Thomas Jefferys and published in 1765. The map of Devon was printed on 12 sheets and usually issued in book form.

Donn continued his interest in mapping (despite his experiences in getting his money from the Royal Society) and produced a map of the area 11 miles round Bristol (1769) and a map of Bath (1790). Together with his son, Donn published A Map of the Western Circuit of England. 

Title: A PLAN of the CITY and SUBURBS of EXETER (inset on Donn’s 1” map:  A Map of the County of Devon)

Size: 405 x 470 mm with Scale of Poles (50 = 51mm or 1 Mile = 328 mm).

Imprint on complete map: London: Printed for the Author and Sold by the Booksellers of Devon, by Mr Johnston in Ludgate Street: Mr Baldwin in Paternoster Row; and the print-sellers of London MDCCLXV. 

The City is shown on sheet 4 with north at the top, a scale bar and a key to certain buildings below. The area covered is from St. Thomas to St. Agnes and St. Davis to the Workhouse, with the city divided into the four wards. There are many similarities, both in style and information, with Rocque’s large plan, printed some 21 years earlier, and especially with the reduced Rocque drawn to the same scale.

The plan is in block form with the principal buildings, churches, inns, alms houses etc. darkened. But, unlike Rocque, Donn makes no effort to show gardens, or countryside, only the serge racks. This does make the plan easier to read. Another striking difference is Donn’s lack of detail and his depiction of secondary roads. But the reference to inns and the variant treatment of the Exe Bridge is noteworthy. Fore Street for the first time is named as part of the High Street. The new alms houses (1763) are shown. The Blew Boys School is called St. John’s Hospital or High School. Note, too, the ruined alms houses, late Bonville’s, in Rock Lane; and the Water Engine is clearly depicted on the river banks. The plan also shows the end of the Haven or New Cut, and the King’s Arms Sluice. Development is still limited within the walls and to those main roads out from the four gates. Though there are faults to be found in Donn’s survey of the County, the City plan is, like Rocque’s, both fairly accurate and informative. The Synagogue is shown twice (number 12 in reference key): it is given as located outside the North gate but also behind St. Mary Arches. The latter building was only constructed in 1764 so Donn may not have known exactly when it was to be completed. Nevertheless, the map makes an excellent comparison with Tozer’s survey of 1792 (see next entry).

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