Antique Hobson Fox Hunting Map of Cheshire, Cheshire Hunt, circa 1870

About this sheet

From Hobson's Fox-Hunting Atlas comes this antique fox hunting map of Cheshire, engraved by J. and C. Walker circa 1870 and colored by hand to show three hunts. The Cheshire Hunt itself, in pink, takes in the greater part of the county from the Mersey south to Nantwich, its name lettered in large blue capitals down the center of the map in two lines; North Staffordshire, in green, runs along the eastern border toward Leek and Congleton; and Sir W. W. Wynne's country, in yellow, occupies the south-west corner around Malpas and the Flintshire border. Liverpool and Manchester press in at the north-western and north-eastern corners, their railway lines converging on the county in a dense red web, while the flat Mersey marshes are stippled in gray wash.

The cartouche at upper left gives the county name, the Walker authorship line, the scale and the standard note on area, population and parliamentary representation. A reference table for the hundreds sits at lower left beside a note on the boundary conventions used for the county divisions and boroughs, the plate is numbered 5 at upper right, and the Wrexham and Chester railway is traced in red through the south-western hunt country.

This is a leaf from Hobson's Fox-Hunting Atlas in the edition of circa 1870. Compiled by William Colling Hobson and published by Longman and Company, Paternoster Row, the atlas was first issued around 1850 and reissued into the 1870s, covering every county of England and the three Ridings of Yorkshire. Its maps were engraved on steel by the London firm of John and Charles Walker, and the hunt boundaries are in original hand color, applied in outline. The sheet belongs with a run of adjoining plates, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire, whose hunt boundaries interlock at the county edges, a reminder that the atlas was conceived as one continuous record of English hunting country.

An original atlas sheet, suitable for framing, this antique fox hunting map of Cheshire will appeal to hunting families, to collectors of the county and to anyone with a connection to the place.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light age toning, stronger towards the edges, a central fold, a few small spots and light wear to the edges. Please review the images for further condition details.

This is an original antique map, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.