The Napoleonic collection of engravings at Exeter was made by Heber Mardon (1840-1925).
Born 28 April 1840 in South Molton, Devon, he left for Bristol with his family in 1846 and joined his father James Mardon in his printing business in 1860. The company benefited from its links with the Imperial Tobacco Company for which it undertook much printing work and of which it became a subsidiary company. At one time it had 4,000 employées. The company of Mardon, Son and Hall was formed in 1897 with Heber Mardon as Chairman until his retirement in 1904. He served as a councillor in Bristol making notable gifts connected to printing and engraving to the city. He prepared a grangerised history of Bristol in 14 volumes for presentation to Bristol Museum. He settled in Teignmouth in 1914 when he purchased the Cliffden Estate from the trustees of the late Mr J.M.Tinline. He transformed the house into a palatial residence, remodelling the grounds at great expense. He often loaned the grounds for fêtes for philanthropic purposes. His great hobby was the collection of items relating to Napoleon, a room in Cliffden being dedicated to this collection. In May 1924 he gave his collection to the Royal Albert Memorial, where it became part of the Library’s collections. The 300 volumes were for the most part destroyed in the 1942 air raids, but the illustrations and other relics, such as the death mask, which he acquired in 1911, survive in Exeter Central Library. Heber Mardon was a great benefactor to Teignmouth, helping to acquire the site for a new hospital and also acquiring land at Little Haldon Moor for a new golf course, as well as meeting the costs of cleaning the interior of St. Michael’s Church and making regular Christmas gifts to the needy. He died 1 April 1925, having been in failing health for some time. He left a fortune of £399,518 2s 7d, but left nothing to charity "as, since I have had the means, I have dispensed same in my life-time, as my private ledger will show." (Sources: Western Morning News 29 May 1924, 2 Apr 1925, Express and Echo 4 Apr 1925, 29 May 1925, manuscript note by Burnet Morris.)
The collection is listed below in classified order. The indexes in the original web listing have not been transferred as it is now possible to conduct keyword searches on the local studies database. To limit results to this collection set the resource type to "All resource types" and put the words Heber Mardon in the keyword box.
PLEASE NOTE: Those wishing to consult the collections should enquire in advance. Some items are remotely stored and others may be too fragile to produce at present. Proof of identity may also be required from those wishing to consult material in this and other special collections.
