SCOTTISH MAPPING with George Caldwell BC Genealogical Society (BCGS) Scottish Group August 8, 2012

Transcription

1 Slide One Introduction Early maps of Scotland were little more than charts and in general the coastal outline bears little resemblance to reality. Although these maps were very decorative and splendid artistically, they were of limited value in a cartographic sense. The first detailed topographic maps were produced by Timothy Pont in the late 16 th century and followed by Robert and James Gordon in the mid 17 th century, then John Adair in the late 17 th century. More extensive county surveys of the 18 th and early 19 th centuries culminate in John Thomson s splendid atlas of Scotland in By the mid 18 th century, the Ordnance Survey was firmly established as the national mapping agency for Great Britain. They produced maps at various scales, primarily at one inch (1:63360), six inch (1:10,000) and 25 inch (1:2500) to the mile. The first editions of these maps were produced between 1850 and 1880, the second and ensuing editions after 1890 into the 20 th century. With two million cartographic items, the Nation Library of Scotland s map collection is the largest in Scotland and one of the biggest in the world. Their holdings cover all parts of the globe, through some 700 years, from medieval manuscript maps to current digital maps. The National Library of Scotland maps collection includes: Over 1.5 million sheet maps 15,000 atlases 100,000 maps on microfilm More than 250,000 digital maps Gazetteers, cartographic reference books and periodicals This full collection can be consulted in the Map Reading Room in Edinburgh, if the material is not available elsewhere. Fortunately, for those of us outside of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland has over 44,000 digitized maps available on their website. My talk tonight focuses on what is available on the National Library of Scotland s website: Slide Two National Library The National Library is located on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh about 2 blocks south of High Street (Royal Mile). The Map Library is located at 159 Causewayside. This is fairly close to Pollock Halls where some of us have stayed while in Edinburgh. Causewayside Street is one block west of Minto Street. George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 1 of 10

2 Slide Three Maps of Scotland The home page for Maps of Scotland allows for several ways to access the digitized maps. Browse by category Allows for selection of a category of maps then further selection dependent on category to select the map to be viewed Browse by mapmaker Allows for selection of a mapmaker, then further selection to view a map by created by this individual Geo Referenced maps By far the most interesting aspect of this site is Georeferenced maps. This allows for viewing of the map sheets superimposed on a map of Scotland or viewing a seamless mosaic of a map series. Additionally, layers or mashups of a historical map and a modern map can be viewed simultaneously. Slide Four Browse by Category Effectively all of the maps can be accessed by category. Some of the map series, particularly the Ordnance Survey maps fit into more than one category Thematic Maps Maps of a particular theme such as clans or railways. County Maps Maps showing detail, particularly of county and parish boundaries. Town Plans Large scale maps of towns in Scotland showing high levels of detail. The earliest were bird s eye views but later were overhead views based on detailed survey information. Admiralty Charts First chart were of the Orkney and Shetland Islands in the 1830 s, continuing through the 1860 s. Prior to the Ordnance survey these were the best coastal maps available. Military Maps Mostly from the Jacobite rebellion of the 18 th century. Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey maps supersede earlier county maps and provide a level of detail far superior to the earlier maps for the 18 th and early 19 th century, These maps are the most detailed and correlate well with both civil registration and census information provided in the later part of the 19 th and early 20 th century. George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 2 of 10

3 Slide Five Thematic Maps Administrative and Boundary Maps Provides county and parish boundaries. Of note are the one inch series form the Ordnance Survey of with coloured parishes. Clan Maps Provides districts inhabited by the Highland Clans. Geological Maps Provides topographic and natural features such as rock formations between 1808 and 1912 Marine Charts Provides information on the coast of Scotland and costal towns and ports Railway Maps Provides information on 19 th century railway lines, ferries and stations Road Maps Provides information, primarily from the 18 th century, on commercial roads in Scotland Slide 6 County Maps Up to 1750 the majority of maps were derived from the three major map makers of Scotland, Timothy Pont, Robert Gordon, and John Adair. During the later part of the 18 th century land surveying increasingly emerged as a profession and more detailed maps were commissioned by larger land owners. Between 1818 and 1830 John Thomson began work on his Atlas of Scotland completed in 1832, which included 58 detailed county maps, which were the most detailed available prior to the Ordnance Survey maps which initially appeared later in the century. Beginning in the late 1840 s and continuing through today, the Ordnance Survey has provided, county maps at scales ranging from one inch to 25 inch to the mile (1:50000 to 1:2500). Several series of these maps are available providing insight to the area in the mid 19 th century, late 19 th century, and early to mid 20 th century. Slide 7 Town Plans Earliest town plans were birds eye views of Edinburgh and Aberdeen created by James Gordon in the mid 17 th century. It is not until the late 18 th century that town plans of other Scottish towns began to appear. By this time, bird s eye views had been replaced by accurate scale mapping based on improved survey techniques and equipment, viewing the town from directly above. Prior to the Ordnance Survey maps, these maps where generally the largest scale maps available. The Ordnance Survey began producing town maps at a scale of 25 inches to the mile in the late 1840 s through the turn of the 20th century. In many cases, these are the first large scale maps of these towns. Additionally, Bartholomew produced town plans of the larger cities in Scotland usually dating from the George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 3 of 10

4 mid 20 th century. Town plans generally have individual buildings drawn and major streets identified. Some of the earliest may include the names of the property and land owners. Slide 8 Marine Plans Although marine charts are primarily created as an aid to mariners, they also played a part in establishing the coast line of Scotland. They also contain information about coastal towns and harbours. The first printed sea charts were produced by a Dutchman, Lucas Waghenaer in 1584 and were the basis for most charts in use through to the mid 18 th century. Through the last half of the 18 th century new and more accurate charts were created by the Scottish marine surveyor, Murdoch Mackenzie, starting in the Orkneys in 1750 and proceeding to the whole west coast of Scotland. Beginning in the late 18th century, with the founding of the Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty, charting of the British coastline was undertaken. By 1820 charts were available for the Shetland and Orkney islands. Coverage was completed by the 1860s. These charts can be useful in providing coastal information that may predate Ordnance Survey mapping. Slide 9 Admiralty Chart of Stonehaven (1842) I will use Stonehaven as an example several times in this presentation because it is my favourite place in Scotland. I have been there many times and I am familiar with the street layout and also much of the surrounding area. This is an Admiralty Chart of the area around Stonehaven created in The actual size of the chart is 52x68 cm.at this scale little information can be viewed on a computer terminal. Slide 10 Scaleable View However, the map images can be zoomed in so that detail is viewable. The harbour is visible at the bottom centre, and the town just to the north. The fishing village is Cowie. This layout of this area of Stonehaven is virtually unchanged today. Many of the buildings, particularly in the harbour area still stand. Slide 11 Military Maps In the 18 th century, the threat rebellion in Scotland led to a increased military presence in the country. Some forts were repaired and redeveloped, and new garrisons were planned and constructed. Over 250 miles of military roads and 40 bridges were built to link these forts. These developments are graphically depicted in the manuscript maps from the National Library of Scotland's Board of Ordnance and Wade collections which number over 400 pieces. The Board of Ordnance was a department of the British Government charged with the upkeep and repair of forts and castles. They were also responsible for military roads and bridges. The board of Ordnance was incorporated into the War Office in The Board of Ordnance maps pertaining to Scotland were given to the National Library by the War Office in General George Wade was in charge of His Majesties forces in northern Britain form There are 17 plans in the Wade collection, containing both maps of large George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 4 of 10

5 areas of Scotland showing projected roads, and detailed plans showing projected forts at Fort Augustus, Fort William, and Inverness. Sheet 12 Ordnance Survey Maps The origins of the Ordnance Survey reach back to the Board of Ordnance which initiated a national military survey of the south coast of England in A one inch to the mile map of Essex was the first map published by the Ordnance Survey in Several series of Ordnance Survey maps are available on the Nation Libraries website. When a map sheet is selected for viewing the actual publication year is given. Series available are: One Inch to the mile 1st Edition nd Edition rd Edition Six Inch to the mile 1st Edition nd Edition and later Inch to the mile 1st Edition nd Edition and later Town Plans 62 Town plans The vast majority of the 44,000 scanned maps sheets are from the Ordnance Survey map series, particularly the 25 inch to the mile series which requires thousands of map sheets to cover Scotland. Slide 13 Browsing Options There are several options or ways to select a map sheet to view. As mentioned earlier the maps are grouped by categories. Select and category such as county maps, then further restrict or refine the search to select a specific map sheet. Maps can also be grouped by the mapmaker. Select a specific mapmaker, then chose the map sheet to view. The third method is through Georeferenced map and applications. This is by far the most amazing aspect of this website. This is a more interactive process than the first two browsing options. The sheet viewer option essentially overlays a sheet grid on a map of Scotland. This grid is scaleable. By selecting a sheet grid, icon images of maps available for that grid are displayed. Click on the icon to display the map. The mosaic viewer option overlays a historic map series layer and a modern layer. The historic and modern maps can be selected from drop down menus. George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 5 of 10

6 Slide 14 Browse by Category Select Ordnance Survey which then displays map series available to view Slide 15 Select Map Series Select one inch to the mile which then displays the map sheets available Slide 16 View Map Sheet Sheet 67 Stonehaven published in Slide 17 Scaleable View Arrows at the top left allow the image to be moved left, right, up, and down. This can also be done by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the image over the screen Below the arrows is the magnification bar. Clicking the minus zooms out (smaller), clicking the plus zooms in (larger). This can also be done by using the scroll wheel on the mouse. Inset on the bottom shows what part of the map image is being viewed. Slide 18 Browse by Mapmaker To use this option, click on the first letter to go directly to mapmakers whose name starts with that letter, and select the name to view all maps sheets created by that mapmaker. Slide 19 Select Map by Timothy Pont Select the map sheet from the list. Notice the yellow box Map Search view these maps in sheet viewer. This option would overlay these maps on an image of Scotland. This method is somewhat handier to use as it shows graphically which part of Scotland the map covers. Slide 20 View Map Sheet Lower Deeside Slide 21 Scaleable View This shows Stoney circa There is not a lot of detail, the scale and accuracy are also not known, but much information can be confirmed on modern maps. Notice that the orientation of the map has west at the top. I am not sure if that was the standard of the time or just the way Pont drew the map. George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 6 of 10

7 Slide 22 Georeferenced Maps Applications Search using zoomable maps and gazetteers for Ordnance Survey maps. Available are Ordnance Survey six inch, 25 inch, town plans, and air photo mosaic from the late 1940 s. Overlays View georeferenced historical maps overlaid upon modern day maps. Georeferencer To georeference something means to establish its location in terms of map projections or coordinate systems. This is a collaborative project to georeference historical maps from the National Libraries collection. Slide 23 Search Applications This indicates which maps can be viewed with the sheet viewer and which with the Mosaic viewer. The sheet viewer only allows individual map sheets to be viewed. The mosaic view has all the maps in the series joined together to form a single image covering the entire country. Slide 24 Sheet Viewer Select Select Map Sheet As mentioned earlier, the sheet viewer overlays a grid over Scotland, This grid is scaleable, so you can zoom in to see the detail in the sheet grids, On the left is a radio button menu of maps to select from. I chose OS 6 inch (2 nd edition or later). I clicked on the grid square that covers Stonehaven. There are 3 maps that I can chose from 1902, 1927, or I chose to click on the 1927 edition. Slide 25 Scaleable View Kincardineshire Sheet XV SE 1927 This map shows the street names and many buildings are identified. Comparing this map to the others available or to the first edition (prior to 1892) would show much development of the town. Additionally, at this scale it is probable that farms and crofts are identified which may enable you to find exact locations for births, deaths, and census information. Slide 26 Mosaic Viewer The mosaic view has seamlessly joined all the maps so they can be viewed as a single map. Two layers, historic and modern may be viewed. Modern views are Bing, Google and OS Open Source. Historic are 1 inch, 6 inch, town plans, etc. More historic views are being added, so I anticipate that overtime all OS map series will be available. I do not expect early maps to be added to the Mosaic viewer as they may not accurately depict the terrain and thus would not overlay well with a modern image of the area. George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 7 of 10

8 There is an opacity slider to adjust the transparency of the layers so that they appear superimposed. This way you can see both the historic and current views at the same time. This could be useful in finding where historic places such as farms have disappeared under urban development. There is also the ability to enter the National Grid Reference to zoom directly to that reference. The more precise the grid reference the further the application will zoom in. Additionally, there is the ability to select county and parish, using the old county and parish boundaries. Slide 27 Overlay of Stonehaven The town plan of Stonehaven from 1864 is overlaid onto the current Google Hybrid map. This graphically shows the growth of the town in the last 150 years, but also highlights the accuracy of the 1864 map as roads, rivers, and other natural features align. On the left side is the drop down menu for the historic map. At the top right is the drop down menu for the modern map. The plus/minus buttons allow the image to be scaled (zoomed). The grey slider allows for the opacity to be adjusted. Along the top is the box to enter the National Grid Reference and drop down menus for county and parish. The parish menu is determined by the county selected. Slide 28 Modern Maps As mentioned, several maps series are available for the modern map overlay. Depending on the circumstance, each option has its merit. Bing Maps (formerly Microsoft Virtual Earth) Aerial satellite and aerial imagery Roads road information Hybrid road data overlaid on satellite and aerial imagery Google Satellite satellite imagery Streets road and ground information Hybrid road data overlaid on satellite photos Terrain relief map showing 3D terrain information Ordnance Survey Open Data Road and terrain map similar to current 1:50000 maps Open Street Map Similar to the road map better for urban areas Slide 29 Stonehaven Harbour The image on the left is from the 1864 town plan of Stonehaven, showing how it appeared at that time. The image on the right has the opacity set at about 75% allowing some of the current map image to be viewed through the historic layer. The opacity can be adjusted back and forth to view then and now. This can be useful to see if a structure, street, or feature still exists today. Also, this feature can also be used to determine how to get to some historic destination on today s roads. George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 8 of 10

9 Slide 30 Ordering Maps Copies of the maps can be ordered through the National Library Website, but the costs are not insignificant. A digital copy of the map costs about 15 GBP. Prints are less at about 4 to 8 GBP depending on size. Photocopies are much cheaper costing in the range of 1.50 GBP. The actual prices are posted on the website. I did not see any options for printing the map images from the screen. There are products available such as PrintKey or Snagit for taking screen images. All items are in the National Library Copyright unless stated otherwise. You can access, download and print the contents of this website on a temporary basis for research for a non-commercial purpose or private study. All other rights are reserved by the Library, unless clearly stated. Slide 31 It s not just Scotland The site also has a digital mosaic (with historic and modern overlays) of all of Great Britain (England & Wales) from the OS map series between 1937 and I understand that the copyright for OS maps is 50 years, so these are most likely out of copyright, or the National Library has obtained permission from the Ordnance Survey to display these maps. This is a recent addition to the digital mapping resources. Slide 32 National Grid Reference The national grid reference is based on the OSGB36 datum (Ordnance Survey 1936 based on the Airy 1830 ellipsoid) and was introduced in In non-technical terms the Airy ellipsoid is a best fit adjustment for flattening the British Isles onto 100 by 100 kilometer squares. The Grid references consist of two letters and up to 10 digits. The digits are in pairs so there is always an even number 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10. The Letters 1st letter defines a 500 by 500 km square 2nd letter further defines the into by 100 km squares starting with A in the upper left (omitting I) The Numbers The digits identify a location within a 100 km square. The first half of the digits gives the easting or distance east of the edge of the square. The second half gives the northing or distance north from the edge of the square. 2 digits a 10 km square 4 digits a 1 km square 3 digits a 100 meter square 4 digits a 10 meter square 5 digits a 1 meter square Slide 33 Using the National Grid Reference The mosaic and sheet viewer allow for the entry of a National Grid Value. In this example, I entered NJ , which is 70.8 km east and 57.7 km north from the George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 9 of 10

10 bottom left of square NJ. This is the grid co-ordinates for the old parish church in King Edward parish. Using the 1 st edition OS survey map, the church (in ruins) shown. The church is located about 1 km down a dirt track running of the existing Turriff/Banff road. In 2010 I visited the ruins of the church and graveyard, but was not sure exactly how to get there. With this application, it is not very simple to view the modern layer and see exactly what track heads down to this relic and where it leaves the current road. Thank you. Questions? George Caldwell for the BCGS Scottish Group August 2012 Page 10 of 10