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

About this sheet

From Hobson's Fox-Hunting Atlas comes this antique fox hunting map of Suffolk, engraved by J. and C. Walker circa 1870 and colored by hand to show two hunt countries. The Suffolk itself, in yellow, covers the greater part of the county from Bury Saint Edmunds and Newmarket in the west across to the coast; East Essex is lettered in green along the southern border where that country runs up from Essex, with the bordering country of Essex and Suffolk noted along the same edge.

The flat, arable landscape, the many small market towns and the river valleys of the Stour, the Gipping and the Deben are rendered with the fine density of detail typical of the atlas. The coast from Lowestoft in the north to Harwich Harbour in the south is drawn with Ipswich, Aldeburgh and Southwold named along the shore, and the main line of the Eastern Counties Railway is traced in red through the center toward Ipswich and Norwich. A reference table for the hundreds sits at lower right, and the cartouche, with the county name and the Walker imprint, occupies the upper right corner.

The process is steel engraving, with the hunt boundaries in original hand color, applied in outline. J. and C. Walker, the London engravers John and Charles Walker, made the plates for William Colling Hobson, who compiled the atlas, and Longman and Company of Paternoster Row published it. First issued around 1850 and reissued into the 1870s, Hobson's Fox-Hunting Atlas covers every county of England and the three Ridings of Yorkshire; this example is from the edition of circa 1870. It is one of the simpler sheets in the series, the county's area accounted for by a single principal hunt that shares only its southern border with the neighboring East Essex country.

An original atlas sheet, suitable for framing, this antique fox hunting map of Suffolk 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 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.