Antique Hobson Fox Hunting Map of Durham, Raby Hunt, circa 1870

About this sheet

This antique fox hunting map of Durham, engraved by J. and C. Walker for Hobson's Fox-Hunting Atlas circa 1870, shows three hunt countries in hand color and three unusual inset maps. The Durham Hunt, in pink, takes the greater part of the county, lettered in large blue capitals running diagonally across the center; Raby, in yellow, runs through the west toward Barnard Castle; and Hurworth, in green, holds the southern tip around Darlington where the county borders Yorkshire.

The insets record the detached portions of County Durham that lay entirely surrounded by neighboring counties: a substantial one at upper left showing the "Detached Part of Durham Locally Situated in Northumberland," reaching up toward Holy Island and Berwick, and two smaller ones at lower left showing further parcels locally situated in Northumberland and in Yorkshire. The main map shows the Tyne at Newcastle and Gateshead, the North Sea coast from Sunderland to Hartlepool in fine stipple, and the Stockton and Darlington and other early railway lines in red, a fitting detail for the county where railways were pioneered. A reference table for the wards and a note on the northern and southern divisions occupy the lower left corner.

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 three detached-part insets are a genuinely unusual feature among the county sheets and reflect Durham's historically fragmented boundary, a legacy of the county's origins as the possession of the Prince-Bishops.

This antique fox hunting map of Durham is an original sheet from the atlas and is suitable for framing; it is of particular interest 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 age toning, stronger towards the edges, a central fold and a few small spots in the margins. 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.