101 Sidney Hall 1830

An engraver and publisher, Sidney Hall (fl.1817-60) was a prolific cartographer. His first work was for the Arrowsmith Company in 1817, when he was best known for his map engravings. Later he had his own premises in Bloomsbury, 18 Strand, London. He also produced a World Atlas for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (published between 1844-76). Hall contributed to two British county atlases; Samuel Leigh’s New Picture (87); and, in 1831, A Topographical Dictionary by John Gorton (d.1835) which appeared with 54 maps engraved by Hall. (Gorton also produced a biographical dictionary.) The maps appeared in atlases with varying titles. From 1857 lithographic reproductions were issued and used until c.1885 at roughly two-yearly intervals. A Londoner's Walk To The Land's End and a Trip the Scilly Isles by Walter White (Second and Third Editions) contained 4 folding county maps, Hampshire, Southampton, Dorsetshire, Devonshire and Cornwall.

Another guide to Devonshire has come to light which utilised the Hall map. A Description of the County of Devonshire was published by W Spreat of Exeter circa 1842. The guide does not name the author so it could have been Spreat himself or a friend or colleague. The small book is clearly based on the text found within later issues of the guide published by Charles Cooke for George Alexander Cooke (see entry 68). This guide was published between 1805 and 1832, so had been out of print for some ten years. Spreat's guide is extremely interesting; some examples (there were possibly two issues, with and without the map) contain both this map and what appears to be a complete catalogue of works being offered by George F Cruchley at that period (see, for example, entry 71 for Cruchley's later issues of Cary's larger sheet maps). The guide copies some Cooke text from the 1832 edition word-for-word and changes the sequence of other information. There has been little attempt at bringing the information up to date: although there is a list of population figures for 1841 after p. 192, the Sidmouth population figure in the text (p.25) is dated 1821 and the population of Exeter (p.33) is for 1831.¹ William Spreat also lithographed three maps of south Devon; the River Axe for Pulman; Sidmouth for Hutchinson; and the Torquay area for Cockrem. See entries Moss, Hutchinson 1, Cockrem (1856) in The Tourist Maps of Devon. 

Size 185 x 242 mm.                                                                                                                                                  English Miles (20 = 50 mm).

DEVONSHIRE. with signature ENGRAVED BY SIDY. HALL. Imprint: London, Published by Chapman & Hall No. 168 Strand, Augt. 1830. (CeOS).