KYNGESTON UPON HULL – KINGSTON UPON HULL – THE SIEGE OF HULL – THE TOWNE OF HULL – c.1680-1890

Copper engraving after Wenceslaus Hollar.
Later impression from the plate first issued circa 1642.
Engraving on laid paper bearing the watermark “ADVRAND”.
Sheet size: 30.2 cm x 25.8 cm.
Blank verso.

Description:

An important and finely detailed engraved prospect and plan of Kingston upon Hull by Wenceslaus Hollar, among the most accomplished and influential topographical printmakers working in seventeenth-century Britain. First issued in 1642 during the opening phase of the English Civil War, the engraving documents Hull at one of the most politically and militarily significant moments in its history.

The composition combines an elevated panoramic prospect of the town across the Humber estuary with an intricate bird’s-eye plan below, depicting Hull’s fortifications, gates, bastions, principal streets, churches, harbour activity, and defensive infrastructure in exceptional detail. An inset regional map situates Hull within the wider geography of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and the Humber estuary, emphasising the town’s strategic position within the north-eastern coastal network.

The engraving was originally produced at the outbreak of the English Civil War, when Hull occupied a position of immense national importance. In 1642 the town became one of the central flashpoints in the constitutional conflict between King Charles I and Parliament. Hull contained a substantial royal arsenal of arms and munitions, making control of the port strategically critical to both sides.

In April 1642 Charles I travelled to Hull seeking entry to the town, only to be refused admission by Sir John Hotham, the Parliamentary governor. This confrontation became one of the defining early incidents of the Civil War. Later that year Hull was subjected to siege and blockade attempts by Royalist forces, while Parliament retained control of the port and its strategically important military stores. Hollar’s engraving therefore functions not merely as a topographical view, but also as a visual record of one of the most significant fortified towns in Civil War England.

The detailed representation of the town walls, defensive earthworks, waterfront batteries, and shipping reflects Hull’s military and maritime importance during the conflict. As a major port controlling access to the Humber and the wider North Sea trade routes, Hull occupied a crucial logistical and defensive position linking Yorkshire with Parliamentarian supply and communication networks.

Hollar’s town views are distinguished by their precision of observation and refinement of line. Trained in Prague and later active in England under the patronage of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, Hollar became one of the foremost documentary engravers of the seventeenth century, producing detailed views of towns, architecture, costume, landscapes, and military events. His engravings remain among the most important visual records of early modern Britain.

This example represents a later impression from the original seventeenth-century plate and is printed on laid paper bearing the watermark “ADVRAND”, a documented seventeenth-century continental paper mark associated with period paper stocks circulating within England during Hollar’s lifetime. Watermarks of this type are of considerable bibliographical interest and may assist in distinguishing later historical impressions from modern reproductions or restrikes. The impression remains strong and well defined throughout, preserving the delicacy of Hollar’s engraved line work across the panoramic prospect, fortified town plan, and inset regional map.

The blank verso suggests issue as an independent print rather than extraction from a later bound volume. Trimmed to the margins.

Condition:

A strong later impression on laid paper with watermark “ADVRAND”. Trimmed to the margins. Blank verso. Minor tab marks verso. Minor age toning and light handling wear consistent with age with minor wear to upper corners. The engraving remains sharp and well defined, with clear impressions to the panoramic prospect, town plan, and inset map. A well-preserved example in very good condition overall.

A highly collectable Hollar engraving combining Civil War history, maritime topography, military cartography, and seventeenth-century urban representation. Of particular interest to collectors of English Civil War material, British topography, Yorkshire history, and early modern engraved views.

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