Chapter I: The Exeter City Maps of John Hayman

 

John Hayman prepared two maps of Exeter in the years 1805 and 1806. The maps were produced for two very different publications. However, John Hayman is not known to have drawn any further maps and only a few other works of his are to be found in museums. This article looks at the two maps in detail and gives a brief overview of what is known about him.

Introduction

When a new guide to the scenery of England and Wales was published in the early 1800s it coincided with the production of specially prepared maps and plans, although these did not appear immediately in the new publication: The Beauties of England and Wales. Some 58 maps and 22 city plans were produced, and the large majority were the co-production of two London specialists. Of the city plans few were the result of “local” knowledge, i.e., produced largely by a local artist. John Hayman was one of only four locally employed artists engaged to produce a completely new town plan.[1] 

All of the other 18 plans[2] were by the collaboration of Cole and Roper. According to Ravenhill & Rowe and Smith[3], Hayman was a surveyor, a nephew of William Hayman with whom he was in partnership from 1786. In 1794 he was at Bartholomew Yard in Exeter. In October 1802 he was commissioned to survey and map the lands and tenements belonging to the corporation (of St Sidwell parish): a book of the Lands of the Corporation of the poor of Exeter was compiled in 1811 where Hayman is given as the surveyor. Furthermore, he was paid 15 guineas with a further 10 in 1812 as Mr Hayman having produced the Plans and Maps of the Lands and Houses of the Corporation very neatly and accurately. Furthermore, in the Exeter Itinerary and General Directory 1828[4] there is an entry; Hayman, I. land surveyor and artist, Workhouse. John Hayman married a woman by the name of Mary and died February 1847.[5] William Hayman (Exeter 1716 – Modbury 1793) was appointed Exeter City Surveyor in 1760 but resigned due to ill health in 1791. He was admitted to the Freedom of the City of Exeter in 1777.[6]

There was, however, a J Hayman working in Exeter about the time that Smith says Hayman flourished (namely 1786-90) as painter. The British Library has a very elegant engraving of the East View of the East Gate, drawn in 1784 and published October 20 1785.[7] [8]

The British Library etching and aquatint is dedicated: To the RIGHT WORSHIPFUL The MAYOR ALDERMEN and COMMON COUNCIL of the City of Exeter This EAST VIEW of the EAST-GATE of the CITY taken in the Year of our LORD 1784 Is Humbly Presented by their most Obedient & very humble Servant John Hayman. This print was formerly in the collection of George III. If one had visited Exeter Guildhall before 2004 one might have spotted two large oil paintings of the old east gate: these have now been transferred to The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery in Exeter. The print and one of the paintings are nearly identical.[9] It would certainly appear that Hayman was active from at least 1784 and was resident in Exeter until at least 1828.[10] Already by 1784 he was well-known enough to be commissioned to paint two pictures for the Guildhall.

There is a remote possibility that John was a grandson or relative of another John Hayman who lived in Exeter. Francis Hayman (born Exeter 1708 – London 1776), a famous painter working in London from the 1730s, was the son of John Hayman and Jane Browne.[11]

Finally, it is worth noting that John Hayman actually produced a proposal for publishing a map of Exeter in 1789.[12]

The overview is split into four main parts for ease of reference:

1. Chapter I: John Hayman (Cole & Roper) 1805 - John Hayman´s map of Exeter of 1805 found in by Britton & Bayley in Beauties of England & Wales Vol. IV. See Below:

2. Chapter II: John Hayman for Alexander Jenkins 1806 - John Hayman´s map of Exeter of 1806 used by Alexander Jenkins in his History of Exeter - and details of a proof copy of the map

3. Chapter III: John Hayman´s proof map for Jenkins´ History - only known copy of a proof version of the map found in History of Exeter.

4. Chapter IV: John Hayman (Henry Besley) - John Hayman´s map of Exeter of 1805 as used by Henry Besley of Exeter in his Exeter Itinerary from 1828 to 1839 with

Summary

Appendix I:The illustrations in Alexander Jenkins´ History of Exeter

Appendix II: Corrections to text in "proof" copy of Alexander Jenkins

Appendix III: Changes found in the Second Edition to Alexander Jenkins

Part One

John Hayman (Cole & Roper) 1805

John Britton and Edward Wedlake Brayley were friends from an early age. After Britton had been employed to write a text on Wiltshire, he then collaborated with his friend to begin The Beauties of England and Wales. In 1800, after agreeing terms with a London publisher, the two set off across the country. The plan was to cover the whole country in three years. The two collaborated as joint editors and completed the first six volumes together. The first of these appeared in 1801 with the counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. The work was lavishly illustrated with attractive engravings.[13]

Devonshire was published in Volume IV together with Dorsetshire and was published by Vernor and Hood and others in London in 1803.[14] Britton is associated with 9 volumes in the series and Bayley with 10. The success of the series led to the two later working together on the publication of Devon Illustrated, published in 1829, and Cornwall Illustrated in 1831 (and brought together in 1832).[15] Maps and city plans were prepared for the entire series, mostly by George Cole and John Roper (hence they are popularly referred to as the Cole and Roper series), and most of the county parts will be found bound with these in. However, David Smith[16] explains that this was not the original plan - despite the rather ambiguous note: To Accompany the Beauties of England and Wales (lower right below border of all maps). Be that as it may, the maps and plans were published in the British Atlas when it appeared in 1810.[17]

Sometime before Volume IV of Beauties was published in its final form, John Roper engraved both a county map drawn by George Cole (Engraved by J Roper from a Drawing by G Cole lower left below border) and a map of Exeter drawn by John Hayman (Engraved by J Roper from a Drawing by I Hayman lower left below border)[18]. The maps and plans were published in a separate series between October 1st 1804 and 1810 – with the maps of Devon, Dorset and Exeter all dated 1805. There were 21 town plans to accompany the county maps.

From 1810 the British Atlas[19] appeared for Vernor, Hood and Sharp and 9 others; and in 1816 for Baldwin, Cradock & Joy but as English Topography by the Rev. J. Nightingale (he had written much of the text for London). There were numerous reissues of the maps and plans with new text.

The Exeter map was engraved at the same size as the county map and the book format (at 220 x 180 mm). Besides the signatures already discussed there is a signature within the border Drawn and Engraved under the Direction of J. Britton as well as the usual imprint: London: Published for the Proprietors by Vernor & Hood, Poultry, June 1st, 1805.[20]

Although the city map shows the same area as the large-scale map by Charles Tozer published only a few years earlier, it is a completely new drawing and not a copy. The Bishop’s Arms & the City Arms are top left and at the bottom there is a vignette of East View of Exeter Cathedral &c. signed Hayman delt. and Woolnoth sc.

In one reference book Woolnoth is said to have Engraved a vignette view after Francis Hayman on a map of Exeter,[21] but Francis Hayman had died in 1776 and it is clearly I (for J) Hayman in the map signature. William Woolnoth (1780-1837) also engraved the inset vignette of Exeter Cathedral, drawn by R Creighton, for J & C Greenwood´s large scale map of Devon in 1827.[22] Probably Woolnoth´s best known work was The ancient castles of England and Wales; engraved by William Woolnoth, from original drawings. With historical descriptions by E.W. Brayley, jun (1825). Volume II had a view of Berry Pomeroy.

The map appears to be up-to-date and the REFERENCE table is shown in wards above the scale bar and lists all houses of worship. A north point is shown. The plan covers the same area as Tozer (1792)[23] except that Holloway is extended as far as Parker’s Wall and the Cotton Factory by Trews Wear. Outside the city walls: Bridge Street is named between the bridge and Fore Street with Frog Lane passing below; the notes Devon/Exeter are shown by the bridge; the western New Cut is omitted and a New Canal bypasses Blackaller Wear; the road from Bedford Circus has been extended and now passes through Barn Field (the first part of the crescent dating to 1800). 

There are numerous additions including Little Silver beside St. Davids, the two sets of Barracks off the New Road, and an Aqueduct to the City Conduits at the head of Longbrook (beside Lions Holt and the Ammunition Ground). Fryers Hay, previously full of serge racks is now built up with Graves Street and Colleton Crescent (only completed in 1805 after three years) but other fields are still dotted with rack symbols, even though their total area is dwindling, for example, Bull Meadow, between Holloway Street and Magdalen Street. Only one Turnpike Gate is shown: the gate opposite Parker’s Wall on Holloway Street.

Inside the walls: the Wards have only an initial as reference; most religious meeting houses are shown as well as all the churches; the Old Jail (Tozer) is now the Methodists Meeting House; St. John’s Hospital is called the Grammar Sc.; the Treasury, by the cathedral has been removed; North Street is widened by the old gate; and the chapel is omitted within the castle. The Quaker’s Meeting House was built in Magdalen Street in 1806 but is already shown and is in the key. The Mount Pleasant inn on the river has become the K(nave) of Clubs.

This map would reappear many years later, published by the local Exeter publisher, Henry Besley in 1828.

To go directly to Chapter II: click here.

[1] The other cities produced with local assistance were Manchester & Salford, Worcester and Coventry.

[2] All of the individual cities (i.e., not including Newport) are illustrated (enlarged and not to scale) in Ashley Baynton-Williams´ Town and city maps of the British Isles; London: Studio Editions; 1992.

[3] Ravenhill, Mary & Rowe, Margery; Devon Maps and Map-Makers; Exeter; 2002. They do not mention the map of Exeter. David Smith; ibid. Quoting Sarah Bendall in Dictionary of Land Surveyors and Local Mapmakers of Great Britain and Ireland 1520-1850; 2nd edition; Folkstone; Dawson; 1997; H 226.

[4] Published in Exeter by T & H Besley, Bell-Hill, South Street.

[5] Ravenhill, Mary & Rowe, Margery; 2002.

[6] Ravenhill, Mary & Rowe, Margery; 2002; p.397. They list a number of maps dated 1762-1786 with six references.

[7] British Library collection: Cartographic Items Maps K.Top.11.69.w.

[8] Somers Cocks, J V; 1977. Entry 903; 904 is a corresponding view of the West View of the same gate.

[9] Both paintings are approx. 295 x 460 mm. Oil on canvas at approx. 660 x 875 mm. Available on-line at the website artuk.org but not on the RAMM catalogue at the website.

[10] The only reference to (J) Hayman in Etched on Devon´s Memory (the comprehensive listing of all persons involved in the book trade in Devon) is the reference to the two prints listed in Somers Cocks.

[11] https://dewiki.de/Lexikon/Francis_Hayman.

[12] Ravenhill, Mary & Rowe, Margery; 2002; p.397. Noted in the Burnett Morris Index at Devon Archives.

[13] References to Wikipedia entries on Britton, Bayley and the Beauties of England and Wales.

[14] Batten, Kit & Bennett, Francis; 1996; The Printed Maps of Devon; Devon Books; entry 67. See also Bennett & Batten; 2011; The Printed Maps of Exeter; Little Silver Press; Exeter; entry 16. The map is listed under 1805 as it is not known when the map became freely available, but the imprint date is 1805. Both books now on-line in an updated Second Edition.

[15] See Jennings vs. Fisher at Kit´s Blog: (https://two-rival-publications-of-1829.blogspot.com/).

[16] David Smith; The British Atlas, 1810 – A Reassessment of the town maps; in the IMCoS Journal; March 2017.

[17] Originally issued in 18 parts without a title page. The British Atlas when bound together comprised 58 maps and 21 city plans. One further plan, Newport, is an inset map on the Isle of Wight.

[18] The letter “I” often substituting “J” in such signatures.

[19] Full title: The British Atlas; comprising a complete set of county maps of England and Wales: with a general map of navigable rivers and canals: and plans of cities and principal towns. Drawn and engraved under the direction of [E.W. Brayley / J. Britton] to accompany the Beauties of England and Wales.

[20] I.e., Volume IV as usually found contains Devon and Dorset and is dated 1803 (title page) but the map is dated 1805.[21] Worms and Baynton-Williams; British Map Engravers; London; Rare Book Society; 2011.

[22] See Batten & Bennett (1996). The engraving is signed on the large 1827 map, but removed on the smaller 1829 map – see Entry 96 and Entry 97 resp.

[23] Bennett and Batten; 2011; Entry 15. David Smith pointed out that the text as written implied a copy of Tozer: this was not intended: only to observe a similarity in area covered. Two further errors in the original text have now been amended in the Second (on-line) Edition available at: https://printed-maps-exeter.blogspot.com/.