41.     John Murray I                                                                            1863 

The late 1830s had seen the introduction of the handbook or guide book and the prominence of the two publishing houses who would dominate the British market for guidebooks throughout the Victorian era: Murray (Handbook) and A & C Black (Guide). Murray´s first map of Exeter appeared as early as 1863 but it would not be until 1881 that A & C Black included a plan in their guide (49).

John Murray (1778-1843) started the famous series of red-bound guides in 1836 but it was his son, also John, who produced the first county guide; A Handbook for Travellers in Devon & Cornwall was first published in 1850. The early editions did not include any town maps, but the 5th edition of 1863 included a map of Exeter. In the 9^th edition of 1879 the map was replaced by one by Edward Weller (see 48). 

Title: EXETER

Size: 125 x 100 mm but no scale.

No signature and no imprint. 

A fairly simple map of the city extending from St. Thomas to the Cavalry Barracks, showing the new railway and the station off Queen Street. Below the map is a list of 7 buildings. Two notes: To Veitch’s Nursery (bottom right) and To face page 17 (below central). 

The map appeared again in A Handbook for Travellers in Devon and Cornwall sixth and A Handbook for Travellers in Devonshire eighth editions. The 6^th edition of the handbook was published in 1865: page reference 6, Route 1 – Exeter and Sect. 1 all added above plan; To face page 17 deleted (illustrated above). For the eighth edition of 1872 (there was no seventh edition) all added notes were removed along with the reference to Veitch’s Nursery and Albert Museum was added to the list of buildings (illustrated below).

Return to Catalogue

 43.     British Association                                                                    1869 

The British Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in 1831 on the lines of a German Institution. William Vernon Harcourt and J F W Johnston were leading advocates of the association in competition with the Royal Society. The first meeting was held in York but annual meetings were held in different cities; in 1869 Exeter was chosen.

Although a guide of sorts may have been printed for attendees only a copy of a specially produced map has been seen by the authors and this has been loosely inserted into a copy of Murray’s Handbook for Travellers (1859)^[1]. However it is highly probable that the map was issued to participants as part of a welcome pack or possibly together with the Report Of The British Association For The Advancement Of Science Held At Exeter In 1869 which would have been presented or sold to each participant who had attended the British Association meeting held in Exeter. This work was published in 1870 by John Murray, London. It was part of an extremely important annual series of original research papers. Containing 800-1000 pp it included 100-120 pp to the rear listing all the members of the association with their qualifications and addresses. 

Title: BRITISH ASSOCIATION  EXETER MEETING 1869

Size: 134 x180 mm and SCALE OF YARDS (600 = 48mm) (or 1 Mile = 140 mm). 

This is a simple block plan naming principal streets, the railways and principal buildings with just under half the area taken up with a list of the Section Rooms and references to other map notes, mostly hotels, above the scale bar. Note the new Albert Memorial Museum; the Fairpark on Magdalen Rd; Rougemont (for castle area); the note Old Cemetery disused; the two telegraph offices; the inaccuracy of the layout to the reservoirs (north of the county gaol); the cross shaped county prison; the alignment of the castle; and the walls are not shown. The Victoria Public Hall was rushed to completion in time for the meeting and was used for concerts, meetings and lectures until the turn of the century.

Return to Catalogue

---

^[1] Illustration reproduced by kind permission of Devon Archives & Local Studies - .sWES/1859/HAN..

Documents held at Devon Archives are copyright. Copying, printing, reproducing or sharing images of them on this website is not permitted

 48.     John Murray II                                                                           1879 

So popular were John Murray’s red-bound books that the company separated Devon & Cornwall in the 9th edition of 1879 and introduced a new, and considerably improved, map for Exeter (replaces 41) for the Devonshire handbook. The plan was used in the Tenth (above) and Eleventh Editions of Murray’s A Handbook for Travellers in Devonshire until 1901. 

Title: EXETER for Murray’s Handbook for Devon

Size: 160 x 190 mm but no scale.

Signature: Edwd Weller (engraver) and publisher’s imprint: London: John Murray Albemarle St. 

The plan covers the area from St. Thomas to Polsloe Park and from the Canal Basin to Exwick. It is the first map to have a grid system to aid finding locations. Although rather a small map it is accurate and detailed and would have been a useful aid to the traveller.

Revised copies of the plan were used in the later 10^th edition of 1887 (with only minor amendments – List of 14 buildings and Bridewell (at B3) becomes Governors and Chaplains houses). The 11th edition (below) of 1895 has roads added and named, especially in quadrants A5-6 and E5; a tunnel under the Tiverton Road for S. W. Railway (A7); and the area northwest of the Workhouse and west of Diocesan Trinity College is extensively developed (C-D6).

Return to Catalogue