91 William Robert Gardner / Charles Smith 1822

REVISED 2023

Publisher, engraver, map and globe seller, Charles Smith was highly successful, eventually becoming Map Seller Extraordinary to HRH the Prince of Wales. From premises at No 172 Corner of Surrey Street in the Strand (1803-1862), and from 1864 at 63 Charing Cross, the firm produced notable cartographic works including the New English Atlas (63), maps of London (1803) and Bristol (1829), and plans of rivers and canals.

In 1822 a reduced version of the New English Atlas (now 4to with 44 maps), the title remaining the same, was published with the map of Devon engraved by W R Gardner (with other maps by John Pickett).

William Robert Gardner (fl. 1816-1829) was born circa 1789 and his work for Smith is amongst the earliest known. H also did engraving for well-known publishers such as William Darton and R H Laurie. In 1826 Smith compiled a road book with Gardner’s name appearing once again as engraver. In 1829 bankrupty procedings were started but but shortly after “extensive forgeries “ were detected. Soon after Gardner fled the country, allegedly with up to £10,000 in forged bills and possibly emigrated to New York with one son, leaving a wife and three children behind.[1]

A close copy of Gardner’s map was executed for Trewman’s Exeter Journal and Almanack of the same year as the smaller New English Atlas (see especially entry 93) and this was used until c.1850 (see image). In 1850 Trewman started to use the Gardner-Smith map and discontinued using his locally produced copy. Why Trewman chose to use this map at all when he had another plate at his disposal is not known but it is feasible that he may have had copyright problems with Smith and they came to an agreement of some sort. It would be interesting to know whether this had anything to do with Gardner. The Exeter Journal and Almanack was published every year from 1850 to 1857 but only three copies with maps have been found.

The maps may also have been available folded with a cover from c.1845 as Smith’s .... (County) but a map of Devon has not been seen.

Size 195 x 230 mm.  Scale of Miles (20 = 52 mm).

DEVONSHIRE. Distances from London to Exeter via 5 different routes, and from London to Plymouth via 3 different routes. Imprint: Printed for C. SMITH, No. 172 Strand 1822. (CeOS). Signature: Gardner sculpt (EeOS).