83 E A Ezekiel 1816

The Exeter Pocket Journal had a long and distinguished career. It was first published in the eighteenth century¹: an edition of 1755 is known printed by Andrew Brice for Barnabas Thorn, and there is a copy for 1788 (printed and sold by E Thorn and sold also by all other booksellers). Editions published by Trewman are known for 1791, 1796 and 1807 but these did not include maps. In the 1816 and 1817 editions a map of Devon and Cornwall was included. This was one of the few maps before 1837 to have been executed by a local person as E A Ezekiel was an optician and goldsmith in Exeter: the journal for 1827 lists him on the page of Persons of Eminence, Genius and Public Notoriety as eminent engraver, miniature painter and optician. According to the journal he was born about 1757 in Exeter and died in 1806. If the latter date is correct (it could be an error for 1816), it leads one to the conclusion that the map is in fact older and earlier copies of the Pocket Journal may yet be found with a map. G and A Ezekiel were still trading as engravers and opticians in Fore Street in the late 1820s.

William Tunnicliffe in his Topographical Survey of 1791 (58) lists a Robert Trewman as Printer in Exeter who subscribed to 100 copies of his book; presumably this was a commercial transaction with Trewman functioning as retailer and distributor. Trewman and Son printed Polwhele’s History of Devonshire for Cadell, Johnson and Dilly in 1797. They published the The Exeter Pocket Journal Or, West-Country Gentleman’s and Tradesman’s Memorandum Book until 1816 but became Trewman & Co. the following year. The next editions of the Journal extant (and which include a different map) appeared in 1822 and in a trade directory for 1827 they were registered as Trewman and Co. as printers, booksellers, bookbinders and stationers in the High Street, Exeter.

The map shows Devon and Cornwall together and must have been part of a larger regional map: the map extends as far as Bridgewater and Lyme Regis and the wording relating to the neighbouring counties has been cut (ie only PART OF SOMEI and DOR remain). Mail coach roads are shown and, although graticuled, there are no references.

This map was replaced in the 1822 edition by a new map of Devon engraved by Smith and Davies (93).

Size 138 x 215 mm.                                                                                                           Scale bar (16=29 mm) Scale of Statute Miles.

MAP of DEVON and CORNWALL Abridged & Engraved by E A EZEKIEL Optician & Goldsmith, EXETER. Imprints: Engraved for the EXETER Pocket Journal (CaOS) and Exeter, Published by Trewman & Son, Printers Book-sellers and Stationers (CeOS).