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Henry Hall's First Printed Map -- One of The Most Important Early Maps of South Africa Under British Rule

Rare early map of Eastern part of South Africa, based upon the surveys of Henry Hall. 

Henry Hall (biography below) was active in South Africa in the 1840s and early 1850s, primarily as an engineer in the Eastern Frontier.  The Eastern Frontier
zone played an important role in South African history as it constituted the primary contact zone between whites and blacks in the 19th Century.

Hall's map was profoundly impactful in advancing the cartographic knowledge of South Africa.  As noted by Liebenberg:

Disregarding the maps of Arrowsmith and Wyld, [Hall] painstakingly built his own cartographical database and in 1852 wrote to the Governor of the Cape Colony that he was almost ready to provide the country “with what hitherto has been so much required: a tolerably correct Map of South Africa”. His printed maps of 1856, 1857 and 1859 were cases in point and in 1857 Her Majesty’s Astronomer at the Cape, Sir Thomas Maclear, referred to Hall’s printed map of South Africa as “beyond question, far in advance of any previous attempt”.   

 In 1849, Hall compiled a manuscript map of the Eastern Frontier of South Africa, spotlighting the districts of Albany, Victoria, Somerset, Fort Beaufort, and portions of Colesberg, Cradock, and Graaff-Reinet. His mapping effort merged historical surveys, primarily carried out by Royal Engineers under Captain Holloway between 1819 and 1824, with personal observations, including those from the 1840s under Captain W.F.D. Jervois, R.E. Hall's maps also incorporated corrections from existing sketches housed in the Royal Engineers’ bureau in Grahamstown and his own field surveys in British Kaffraria between the Keiskamma and Kei Rivers conducted by Captain Jervois in 1847-48.

Further north, the Albert district was charted using resources from J.C. Chase, Reverend William Shaw, and government surveyor C. Bird, thereby extending Hall's geographic scope to include the northern Kei River, Stormberg Spruit, Kraai River, upper Orange River, and Witteberg Mountains. Contributions from W. Shepstone, Esq., and W. Orpen, Esq., enhanced the map of Victoria, while Colesberg benefited from the integrative efforts of Fleetwood Rawstorne, who synthesized farm diagrams to craft a comprehensive map released in London in 1842.

The maps also received updates and refinements from figures such as Arrowsmith and Wyld in Graaff-Reinet, Richmond, and the Winterveld, with William Southey contributing to these revisions. The Great Karroo and Beaufort areas saw additions from H. Marriott’s sketches. Notably, Dr. Guybon Atherstone, a respected medical practitioner, naturalist, and geologist from Grahamstown, enriched the maps of Uitenhage and Somerset, particularly in the geological sections, highlighting the collaborative nature of this cartographic endeavor.

This collective of geographical data, diligently gathered and refined by Hall and his associates, reflects the evolving understanding of South Africa’s terrain during a crucial period of its colonial history. These maps function not only as tools for navigation but also as historical documents, capturing the convergence of scientific surveying, personal observation, and local expertise in the mid-19th century. Hall dedicated these maps of the Eastern Frontier of the Cape Colony to the British Inspector-General of Fortifications, Sir John Burgoyne, further underscoring their significance.

During his 1852-53 leave in London, Hall, likely carrying his 1850 manuscript map, was ordered back to Cape Town by special request and favor of the Inspector-General, in large part to continue his mapping work. His comprehensive knowledge of the Eastern Frontier suggests that his work would surpass the contemporary accuracy of Arrowsmith's 1847 map, which was updated following significant regional changes including those from the Eighth Frontier War. Hall’s map of the Eastern Frontier, similar in scale but more detailed than Arrowsmith’s, included distinctions such as permanent and temporary military posts, and demarcated boundaries absent on the Arrowsmith map, thus providing a richer, more informative depiction of the region.

In 1856 Stanford’s Geographical Establishment in London published Henry Hall’s comprehensive Map of the Eastern Frontier of the Colony of the Cape Good Hope, the first of several printed maps which would distinguish Hall in the annals of printed maps of South Africa. Compiled from local authoritative information only, this map not only surpassed its predecessors in scale and completeness, but also achieved a marked degree of accuracy.

Mapping South Africa

The present map is the first map of the Easetern Frontiers of South Africa, published 1 year prior to Hall's monumental map of South Africa, the first map entirely produced in the Colonies

In discussing the publication history of Hall's 185 map of South Africa, Elri LIebenberg notes:

In 1857, [Henry] Hall became the first resident cartographer to publish a map of the entire African region south of 16°S. Entitled South Africa, this map was the first of its kind ever to be produced in South Africa as not only the compilation, but also the engraving, printing, colouring and mounting were undertaken locally. In 1859 Stanford’s published two additional maps, under Hall’s name: one of the subcontinent south of 25° 30’S entitled South Africa, and another entitled Map of South Eastern Africa from Algoa to Delagoa Bay.

In spite of Henry Hall’s rightful claim to fame as South Africa’s foremost pioneer cartographer, little has been published on his cartographical work. . . 

   As noted by Liebenberg:

What makes Hall’s map [of South Africa] of 1857 of particular interest is that it is one of the earliest cartographical documents of southern Africa to include not only the newly found[ed] Boer republics of the Orange Free State (founded 1854) and the Transvaal (founded 1852), but also the routes followed by the mid-19th century explorers ) Orpen and Shelley (1852), Chapman (1854), Livingstone (1853 and 1856), C.J. Andersson (1853), Moffat and Edwards (1854), and Green and  ahlberg (1856) during their explorations into the vast area north of 20° South. By including these routes on his map Hall extended the northern limit of his manuscript maps of 1849 and 1850 with 10° and therewith consciously moved into the unknown parts of southcentral Africa. Hall was a personal friend of almost all the above-mentioned explorers and a possible explanation for his bold decision is that he considered it his duty and obligation to make their  geographical achievements known to the wider public. 

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Hall’s representation of the Orange Free State and Transvaal Republics comprised only the second printed map of these newly founded states, the first being a map by Hermann Berghaus published in the German periodical Petermanns Geographisches Mitteilungen of 1855.  Equally interesting is the fact that Hall’s map is the first printed map on which the name “Pretoria”, the capital of the Republic and founded in 1855, appear. . .   

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Soon after its publication in South Africa Hall sold the copyright of his map of 1857 to Stanford of London who used the existing plates to publish the complete map under both an English and a Dutch title.  However, in 1859 Stanford transferred the area south of 25° S to a conical projection, re-engraved it and  published another edition, slightly updated . .  . Except for the area between 16° S and 26° S which was discarded, all detail on the original 1857 map was retained.  Although the actual reason for doing away with the area north of 25 S is not clear, especially as the map border now cuts through the Transvaal, the decision was probably based on the scanty information that was available on these areas.

Rarity

The present map is rare on the market.